Zim China to hold inaugural Tobacco Expo
THE Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Asia-Europe and Africa Joint Trade and Investment Promotion Association (AEA Association), paving way for the first-ever China-Zimbabwe Tobacco Expo to be held in September.
The MoU, signed in Harare last Friday, formalises a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and China in the tobacco sector.
The Expo will bring together key stakeholders from Zimbabwe, China and other African countries to exchange ideas, showcase technologies and explore solutions that can transform Zimbabwe’s tobacco value chain from seedbed to cigarette.
This collaboration also aligns with Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan, which seeks to increase local value addition and reduce raw tobacco exports.
TIMB acting chief executive, Mr Emmanuel Matsvaire, said the Expo would lead to solutions for some challenges affecting the industry.
“Some of the challenges we face in Zimbabwe’s tobacco sector may already have solutions in China.
“This Expo is about connecting Zimbabwean tobacco growers and industry players with Chinese innovations that enhance productivity, promote sustainability and increase value addition,” he said.
The Expo concept was conceived during the 2024 China International Import Expo in Shanghai, where TIMB officials engaged with representatives from the AEA Association and saw immense potential for collaboration.
With support from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and ZimTrade, the relationship was formalised to bring Chinese expertise and technologies into the Zimbabwean context.
The Expo will include main exhibition halls, conferencing sessions, field tours, live demonstrations and stakeholder networking platforms.
Farmers, merchants, input suppliers, financiers, processors and researchers to Government agencies and private sector players from Zimbabwe, China and across Africa are expected to participate.
One of the key areas of focus will be sustainable tobacco curing technologies. China has successfully eliminated wood use in curing tobacco, an innovation Zimbabwe seeks to adopt to reduce deforestation and operational costs for growers. The Expo will offer a platform for such proven technologies to be showcased and potentially adapted locally.
China remains Zimbabwe’s largest single consumer of tobacco, importing approximately 100 million kilogrammes annually, around one-third of the country’s crop.-herald
