Special Report: Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Transformation Plan
Convinced that its earnings fall short of potential, Zimbabwe has set out to capture more value from its tobacco business.
By growing the crop and moving up the value chain, the country aims to build a $5 billion tobacco industry by 2025.
Will it succeed? Read our special report about the challenges and opportunities associated with Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan.
The Man Behind the Plan
Zimbabwe’s minister of agriculture, Anxious Jongwe Masuka, explains how the country will build a $5 billion tobacco industry by 2025.
The Scientific Approach
Boosting production through innovation
The Trade’s Perceptive
Leaf merchants urge sustainable growth.
‘Not Really a Gamble’
Leaf dealers look forward to a good quality crop.
Iranian Tobacco Co. to Build in Zimbabwe
The plan dovetails with Zimbabwe’s desire to capture more value from tobacco.
CRP to Build $80 million Plant in Harare
The project fits with Zimbabwe’s desire to capture more value from its tobacco business.
Failure to Launch
Zimbabwe’s attempt to diversify into cannabis is proving more challenging than some anticipated.
Great Expectations
Cavendish Lloyd has started growing low-nicotine flue-cured tobacco in Zimbabwe for shisha applications.
The Smoke That Thunders
A cigar manufacturer hopes to move Zimbabwe’s tobacco exports up the value chain.
More from zimbabwe
Kutsaga Releases Climate Resilient Seeds
The varieties will help growers cope with increasingly challenging climatic conditions.
Zimbabwean Cigarette Exports up by Half
But the leaf tobacco power-house ranks only 42nd among cigarette exporters globally.
Zimbabwe Pioneers Centralized Curing
The project aims to reduce cost, raise efficiency and boost sustainability for smallholders.
Zimbabwean Firm to Turn Leaf Waste Into Agrochemicals
The technology could help farmers diversify income.
Farmers Earn $1.3 Million From Shisha Leaf
Zimbabwean yield projections dropped to 500,000 kg due to the El Nino weather pattern.
Cut Rag Processors to Open Factory in Harare
The move fits with Zimbabwe’s objective to move up the tobacco value chain.
Gaining Momentum
Cavendish Lloyd is eager to expand shisha tobacco production in Zimbabwe and elsewhere.
Zimbabwe Leaf Sales Reach $721 Million
Despite effects from El Nino, fewer bales have been rejected this year compared to last year.
Zimbabwe Cigar Tobacco Marketing Season Opens
The first sale recorded a high price of $7.05 per kilogram.
Farmers Want Improved Local Funding
Most Zimbabwean growers rely on foreign buyers to finance their operations.
Leaf Sales Down
An El Nino-induced drought depressed the volumes cultivated in Zimbabwe this year.
Investor Plans Nicotine Extraction in Zimbabwe
The Chinese facility will obtain nicotine for use in cigarette alternatives, such as vapes.
Digital Tobacco Platform Launched
ModernLeaf AI aims to increase productivity for Zimbabwe’s tobacco growers and exporters
Zimbabwe Tobacco Export Earnings Jump
The country is keen to extract more revenue from the business by moving up the value chain.
Zimbabwe: Farmers Urged to Clear Fields
Growers who fail to comply with the agricultural hygiene law will face penalties,says Kutsaga.
Officers Told to Stop Demanding Kickbacks
Some are reportedly coercing farmers to transport their leaf using only certain vehicles.
Zimbabwean Shisha Crop Selling Rapidly
The current average price is 15 percent higher than the 2023 season average.
Zim Growers Warned Against ‘Nesting’
Farmers hiding foreign materials in bales risk stiff penalties, says TIMB.
Leaf Earnings up in Zimbabwe
Yet farmers believe they should be getting even more, pointing to the record prices in Brazil.
Zimbabwe Seed Producer Shuts Down
The Research Board assures the industry that supply will not be compromised.
Zimbabwe Aims for $60 Billion Tobacco Industry
The government wants to increase value addition to more than 30 percent.
Harare to Hosts First WT Africa Conference
The organizers are expecting more than 2,000 key professionals to participate.
Zimbabwe: Auction Prices Hit Record High
Auction prices have increased 26 percent while contract prices have increased 13 percent.
Zim Growers Worried About Price Fixing
Auction prices have been trailing those offered to the country’s contract farmers.
Cigarette Manufacturing to Increase
A new cigarette manufacturing plant is expected to double Zimbabwe’s output.
Sales Reach $13 Million as Season Starts
The highest price at auction was $4.99 per kg while the contract floor saw $6.50 per kg.
Call for Climate-Proof Agriculture in Zimbabwe
Irrigation would allow farmers to cope with drought, says Minister Anxious Masuka.
Zimbabwe Tobacco Season Opens
Auction floors sell 5 percent of the crop but are considered the major price setter.
Zimbabwe Crop Down 10 Percent
An El Nino drought has slashed volumes but raised farmers’ hopes for strong pricing.
TIMB Licenses 32 Contractors
Zimbabwe’s tobacco auctions open March 13, with contract floors opening March 14.
Zimbabwean Growers Urged to Grade Properly
Growers should pay close attention to color, quality, length and style, says Kutsaga.
Zimbabwean Shisha Production Set to Triple
Tobacco growers have planted 407 ha, marking a 270 percent increase over last year’s area.
Zimbabwe Prepares for Marketing Season
Tobacco auction floors will open March 13. Contract floors will open March 14.
Zimbabwe Markets to Open March 13
Industry representatives expect firm prices this year to help offset higher production costs.
Zimbabwe Farmers Demand Premiums
Tobacco growers want a greater share of the wealth generated by exports of their golden leaf.
Diversification in Africa: FCTC No Help
Small-scale growers in particular remain heavily dependent on tobacco.
Zimbabwe Exports Up
The country earned nearly 3.5 times as much from tobacco sales this month than it did in the comparable 2023 period.
Farmers Told to Destroy Seedbeds or Risk Arrest
The measure aims to stop tobacco diseases carrying over from one season to the next.
Zimbabwe Farmers: Start 2024 Market Early
Growers want an earlier start to the tobacco market season to avoid potential storage losses.
Kutsaga Blacklists EDB Soil Fumigation Agent
The research board is evaluating new active ingredients.
Zimbabwe: Commercial Shisha Hectars Increase
Currently, Cavendish Lloyd is the only TIMB registered and licensed shisha merchant.
Zimbabwe Farmers Start Season on a High
Wet weather patterns have led to increased planting and hopes for a good season.
Rain Sparks Planting Frenzy in Zimbabwe
The end of drought has raised hopes that farmers will meet the country’s crop target.
Research Board Warns for Crop Disease
Heavy rains have increased the risk of pests and fungal infections in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe Growers Cheer Extension of Planting Deadline
The move will allow seedlings to recover from drought.
Zimbabwean Leaf Exports Top $1 Billion
Stakeholders are optimistic about achieving the targeted 300 million kg crop in 2024.
Zimbabwe Growers Plant 55,170 Hectares
The figure includes 19,202 hectares of irrigated tobacco and 35,968 of dryland tobacco.
Filling the Gaps
As it seeks to reduce its reliance on tobacco, Zimbabwe is investing in cannabis research.
Leaf Exports Poised to Hit $1.6 Billion
Merchants are currently processing, sorting and selling Zimbabwe’s 300 million kg crop.
Farmers Demand Full U.S. Dollar Retention
Zimbabwe wants to pay only 75 percent of their earnings in hard currency next year.
Zimbabwe Leaf Exports Top $1 Billion
Earnings were driven by larger volumes and better per-kilogram prices.
Zimbabwean Farmers Bemoan Power Cuts
Grower are relying on generators to irrigate crops, increasing production costs.
Zimbabwe Increases Tobacco Planted Area
But the number of growers is down in Africa’s leading tobacco-producing nation.
Coal to Tackle Cost and Deforestation in Zim
Currently, more than 70 percent of the country’s leaf is cured using unsustainable wood.
