Zimbabwe is targeting a $7 billion tobacco industry by 2030 and could reach the goal ahead of schedule, Agriculture, Mechanization and Water Resources Development Minister Anxious Masuka said Oct. 26 at the 70th CORESTA Congress in Victoria Falls. The country aims to increase annual tobacco production to 500 million kilograms by 2030, from approximately 358 million kilograms in 2026. Masuka said growth would depend on higher yields, reduced post-harvest losses, and increased domestic processing rather than expanding cultivated land.
Zimbabwe earns about $1.2 billion annually from semi-processed tobacco exports, supporting nearly 2 million people through direct and indirect employment. Smallholder farmers account for about 95% of growers and produce approximately 85% of the crop. The government plans to expand domestic manufacturing of cigarettes, shisha, and other tobacco products while moving away from indigenous firewood for tobacco curing by 2027 and promoting alternatives such as rocket barns.
