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  • Zimbabwe Reminds Tobacco Farmers Stalk-Destruction Deadline Passed

    Zimbabwe Reminds Tobacco Farmers Stalk-Destruction Deadline Passed

    Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board reminded growers that the May 15 deadline for destroying all tobacco stalks has passed, urging immediate compliance to prevent the carry-over of pests and aphid-transmitted diseases into the 2026/27 season. Under Statutory Instrument 19 of 2008, farmers must completely uproot and destroy stalks to render plants incapable of regrowth, as part of an annual tobacco-free period designed to break pest and disease life cycles. Failure to comply attracts penalties of up to $100 per hectare for a first offence and $200 per hectare for repeat violations, alongside possible imprisonment. Authorities from the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization and Water Resources Development, and plant quarantine teams are conducting field inspections across tobacco-growing provinces as preparations begin for sowing seedbeds from June 1.

    TIMB is also urging farmers to conduct soil testing before planting to optimize fertilizer use, improve leaf quality, and reduce input costs, advising growers to work with laboratories, fertilizer suppliers, and government research departments. Additional compliance dates include no planting before September 1, clearing curing facilities by October 31, and destroying seedbed plants by January 1 each year.

  • Zimbabwe Tobacco Eyes Record Output, Concerned About China

    Zimbabwe Tobacco Eyes Record Output, Concerned About China

    Zimbabwe’s tobacco sector is moving toward another record year, projected to exceed 360,000 tons in output, up from 355,000 tons in 2025 and 306,000 tons in 2024, driven largely by contracted smallholder farmers working with foreign-backed agribusinesses, including Chinese-linked firms. According to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board, planted acreage increased by 15% with more than 127,000 registered growers, around 95% of whom are smallholders and account for roughly 85% of total output. The sector has rebounded sharply from its 2008 collapse, when production fell to 48,000 tons following land reform disruptions.

    While contract farming has expanded access to inputs such as seed and fertilizer and supported export growth across roughly 60 global markets, growers and industry representatives report increasing concerns over debt exposure, fees, and pricing pressures under financing agreements, particularly within systems dominated by Chinese contractors, which account for around 60% of export value. Zimbabwe is also seeking to diversify export destinations and expand domestic cigarette manufacturing, which currently represents about 11% of output, as officials, including Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, push for greater local value addition amid rising global scrutiny from public health and environmental groups, including the World Health Organization.

  • Zimbabwe Suspends Tobacco Buyer Over Pricing Concerns

    Zimbabwe Suspends Tobacco Buyer Over Pricing Concerns

    Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) suspended Country Agro International (Pvt) Ltd from all tobacco buying activities over suspected pricing irregularities during the 2026 selling season. In a May 4 notice, the regulator said it had identified concerning pricing patterns that could distort competition and harm grower viability, prompting a precautionary suspension pending further review. The company has been given five days to respond, as TIMB steps up enforcement efforts following recent action against unlicensed contractors in the sector.

  • Zimbabwe Assures Farmers Record Tobacco Crop Has Buyers

    Zimbabwe Assures Farmers Record Tobacco Crop Has Buyers

    Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) guaranteed that the country’s projected record tobacco harvest projected to top 400 million kg will be fully absorbed by buyers, easing concerns over a global supply glut. International and domestic merchants have already committed to purchase the bulk of the crop, with authorities aiming to prevent a repeat of market disruptions seen in other producing countries where oversupply led to price collapses.

    Despite strong volumes, global demand has softened following post-pandemic stock rebuilding by cigarette manufacturers, contributing to an estimated 18% drop in prices. However, officials say emerging markets and potential future supply risks could support demand and pricing later in the season.

  • Zimbabwe Tobacco Sales Surging After Slow Start

    Zimbabwe Tobacco Sales Surging After Slow Start

    Tobacco sales in Zimbabwe surpassed $310 million as marketing season deliveries accelerate following a rocky start. Volumes rose sharply to nearly 115 million kilograms compared to 67.6 million kgs a year earlier, despite light buying during the first two weeks of the season as buyers were slow to secure financing. The increase reflects stronger farmer participation and higher output, with most sales occurring through contract arrangements rather than auction floors.

    Despite the surge in volumes, average prices have declined to $2.70 per kg from $3.47 last year, indicating softer market conditions. Higher rejection rates also point to ongoing quality issues, though overall earnings have increased due to the significant rise in production and deliveries.

  • Zimbabwean Tobacco Farmer Charged with Selling Crop Twice

    Zimbabwean Tobacco Farmer Charged with Selling Crop Twice

    A 46-year-old farmer in Zimbabwe appeared before a Harare magistrate on fraud charges after allegedly misrepresenting the status of his tobacco crop to secure inputs worth $51,020 from Horizon Leaf Tobacco. Prosecutors say Oosthuizen Jennie Lourence sought a contract farming agreement in November 2025 after company representatives inspected what appeared to be a healthy crop at his farm in Trelawney, Banket. The contract was signed, with the farmer receiving agricultural inputs instead of cash.

    The State alleges Lourence failed to disclose that the same crop had already been pledged to another financier. When the marketing season opened in February, he did not deliver the tobacco, later claiming through lawyers that his farm and crop had been taken over by a creditor, leaving Horizon with the reported loss. Lourence was granted bail and is set to return to court on May 4.

  • Zimbabwe Sees Tobacco Volumes Rise, While Prices Fall

    Zimbabwe Sees Tobacco Volumes Rise, While Prices Fall

    Zimbabwe’s tobacco deliveries to auction and contract floors have surged 83% year on year, earning farmers nearly $200 million since the marketing season opened on March 4, according to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board. A total of 67.2 million kg of tobacco valued at $197.7 million has been sold so far, up from 38.8 million kg worth $133 million over the same period last year.

    Despite the higher volumes, prices remain subdued, with the average price at $2.79/kg compared to $3.44/kg previously. Most of the crop — about 95% — has been sold through contract floors, with only 3.8 million kilograms sold at auction by self-financed farmers. The highest prices recorded this season were $5.75/kg on contract floors and $4.92/kg at auction, both below last year’s $6.30/kg peak.

    The Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association said farmers are receiving payments on time as required under Statutory Instrument 77 of 2022, though high production costs and multiple levies continue to squeeze earnings.

  • Zimbabwe Working to Stabilize Tobacco Market After Rocky Start

    Zimbabwe Working to Stabilize Tobacco Market After Rocky Start

    Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) said it is working to stabilize the market as the 2026 season has gotten off to a rocky start, with early prices plummeting due to global oversupply and slow buyer participation. After two weeks, the average price had dropped 24% from last season to $2.66 per kg, with some bales selling for as little as 10 cents per kg.

    TIMB chief executive Emmanuel Matsvaire said several major merchants, who fund 85% of the crop, had not finalized their credit facilities by the time the market opened, creating a void of competition that allowed prices to bottom out. With those companies back in the fold, Matsvaire said the increased participation is helping prices trend upward. The board is also emphasizing better market intelligence to align Zimbabwe’s production with global demand, aiming to restore confidence among the country’s 100,000-plus growers

    Coming out of a record-shattering 2025 season where it produced 355 million kg of tobacco, Zimbabwe encouraged farmers to push for a national output of 400 million kg this year. However, China, the largest consumer of Zimbabwean leaf, reportedly lowered its orders by more than 10 million kg, sending TIMB to aggressively seek new export markets in the Middle East, Africa, and EU.

  • Zimbabwean Farmers Ordered to Destroy Tobacco Stalks

    Zimbabwean Farmers Ordered to Destroy Tobacco Stalks

    Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board “strongly encouraged” tobacco growers to destroy stalks promptly after harvest to prevent the carryover of pests and diseases into the next production season. Under the Plant Pests and Disease Act (Chapter 19:08), farmers are required to uproot all living tobacco plants, including roots, by May 15, with fines or imprisonment for non-compliance. TIMB emphasized that simply cutting or slashing stalks encourages regrowth, which can harbor pests, spread disease, and deplete soil nutrients, threatening both crop yields and the broader tobacco industry.

    To reinforce compliance, stakeholders have suggested linking funding access for the next crop to proper stalk destruction, while grower associations are conducting awareness campaigns on the risks of non-compliance. First-time offenders face a $100 fine, with repeat offenders facing higher fines or imprisonment. Some farmers have also been flagged for growing crops from the same family as tobacco on the same land, a practice prohibited under the regulations.

  • Zimbabwe Orders Buyers to Get Active as Tobacco Market Starts Slow

    Zimbabwe Orders Buyers to Get Active as Tobacco Market Starts Slow

    Zimbabwe’s government ordered licensed tobacco merchants who have not yet participated in the 2026 marketing season to begin buying within 14 days or face regulatory action, amid concerns that low buyer turnout has contributed to weak auction prices. The directive from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board requires non-participating merchants to explain their absence and outline planned purchase volumes to ensure competition in the market. Only seven of 43 registered buyers were active during the opening days of the season, prompting some farmers to withdraw bales while waiting for better prices.

    Officials say the market is currently in its price-discovery phase and expect prices to firm as more buyers enter the floors and competition increases, however, farmers are concerned as early-season figures show auction sales significantly lagging behind last year. As of March 5, 626,742 kg of tobacco had been sold for $1.79 million compared with 1.24 million kg worth $4.17 million during the same period in 2025. The average price also dropped to $2.85 per kg from $3.35 a year earlier.

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