Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa inaugurated a $100 million tobacco processing plant in Harare last week, developed by agribusiness firm Cut Rag Processors (CRP). The facility can process 3,000 tons of tobacco monthly into cut rag and produce up to 60,000 master cases of cigarettes, equivalent to 600 million sticks. The investment is intended to strengthen Zimbabwe’s limited processing capacity, as the country’s 10 cigarette manufacturers currently produce 4.4 billion cigarettes annually but process only 10–15% of local tobacco. The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) aims to raise this rate to 30% through private investment to capture more value in the export-oriented sector.
The expansion supports the government’s target of generating $7 billion in tobacco sector revenues by 2030 under the Food Systems, Agriculture and Rural Transformation Strategy. Zimbabwe earned $1.4 billion from tobacco exports in 2024, with 94% from unprocessed leaf. Production continues to grow rapidly, with the 2025 harvest rising 53% to a record 354,000 tons, representing 92% growth since 2020. TIMB projects output could reach nearly 500,000 tons by 2030, but limited processing capacity remains a challenge.
