More farmers venture into tobacco farming. . . exports rake in US$129,5m since January
MORE farmers across the country, including Matabeleland provinces are embracing tobacco farming with the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (Timb) registering about 127 112 growers for the 2024/2025 season, compared to 115 053 growers registered in the same period last year.
Tobacco is one of the country’s top foreign currency earners and Zimbabwe is known for its high-quality leaf production, which earns the country between US$800 million and US$1 billion annually.
Ahead of this year’s tobacco marketing season that usually commences in March, Timb has said about 20 million kilograms of tobacco worth US$129,5 million have been exported as at January 31, 2025, a 48,6 percent decline from 39,3 million kgs sold during the same period last year.
Responding to questions from Chronicle Business, Timb spokesperson Mrs Chelesani Tsarwe, said most farmers were seized with final post-harvest activities preparing for the commencement of the marketing season.
“As at 31 January 2025, 20,2 million kgs of tobacco valued at US$129,5 million had been exported as compared to 39,3 million kgs of tobacco valued at US$280,6 million during the same period last year,” she said.
With a focus on improving productivity, Mrs Tsarwe said farmers were optimistic about achieving their annual target of 300 million kgs this season.
She revealed that this time around the season has recorded an increase in the hectares put under tobacco when compared to the last season.
“There are 120 106 hectares under tobacco this season. This is compared to 108 949 hectares planted last season,” said Mrs Tsarwe.
“Our first round or crop assessment indicates that production is nearing the final stages with most growers reaping, curing and performing other post-harvest activities,” she said.
On Matabeleland, Mrs Tsarwe said the tobacco farming was promising, with growers being given relevant information to capacitate them on how they can improve production regardless of the rain patterns in the region.
“Tobacco is a resilient crop that can withstand extreme conditions and the crop in Matabeleland is promising,” she said.
“While rainfall may be limited, the region receives enough precipitation to support tobacco growth, especially that the growers are practicing climate smart agriculture.
TIMB public affairs officer Mrs Chelesani Tsarwe.
“They are taught to do deep ploughing, have tight ridges to reduce runoff and to use improved liquid fertilisers that enhance the soil’s water-holding capacity.”
Tobacco is predominantly grown in Mashonaland provinces with a few farmers involved in Midlands Province and not so common in the entire Matabeleland region, which majors in cattle ranching.
One of the pioneer tobacco schemes was introduced last year at Syringavale Farm in Ward 11, Marula
Village of Mangwe, breaking the decade’s cycle of reliance on subsistence staple grain farming and livestock keeping.
The increasing incidents of drought have greatly affected yields, plunging the majority of the communal farmers in the area into poverty, prompting a shift to the adoption of a different mode of generating income, which is tobacco farming.-chroncile
