The Tobacco Authority of Thailand increased its Virginia tobacco purchasing quota for the 2026-2027 season by 450,000 kilograms, raising the target from 4.73 million kilograms to 5.18 million kilograms. The increase, approved by the authority’s board Oct. 21, is intended to help farmers facing excess production, higher input costs, and difficulties delivering crops under existing quotas. Rising expenses include fuel, transportation, fertilizer, and other agricultural supplies. The authority said it reviewed demand and inventory levels to balance assistance to farmers with its financial position. It also set a target of at least 200 million baht ($5.8 million) in tobacco leaf exports for fiscal 2027.
Category: Agriculture & Sustainability
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Weather Destroys More Than Half of Ecuador’s Tobacco Crop
A severe crop failure in Ecuador linked to this year’s Super El Niño weather event could significantly reduce the supply of cigar wrapper tobacco. A.S.P. Enterprises Inc., one of Ecuador’s largest tobacco growers, has told customers to expect only 25% to 35% of their orders, according to Halfwheel. Company President and CEO David Perez attributed the shortfall to excessive rainfall that has destroyed much of the crop. Perez said the company still has 40% of its tobacco in the field but expects substantial additional losses. The 18-week growing season began well, but excessive rain during the middle six weeks and continued heavy rainfall during the final six weeks severely damaged the crop.
Ecuador supplies wrapper tobacco to many major cigar manufacturers, including Connecticut shade, Cuban-seed, and Sumatra-seed varieties. A Halfwheel analysis of cigars introduced at the 2026 PCA Convention and Trade Show found that about one-third used Ecuadorian wrappers. Perez said the crop failure has also forced the company to send agricultural workers home early. Reduced wrapper supplies are expected to reach cigar manufacturers next year, although additional aging and processing mean consumers may not feel the effects for several years. Perez said the impact could be greater because some manufacturers have reduced wrapper inventories in recent years amid rising prices.
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Zimbabwe Tobacco Plantings Increase 28%
Zimbabwe farmers had planted 22,918 hectares of tobacco by Oct. 30, up 28% from 17,867 hectares during the same period last year, according to the Agricultural Development Advisory Services. Of the total, 87% (19,998 hectares) was under irrigation, while 2,920 hectares were dryland crops. Mashonaland East led production with 7,949 hectares planted, followed by Manicaland with 7,148 hectares, and Mashonaland Central with 4,274 hectares.
The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board is encouraging growers to invest in irrigation and limit plantings to areas they can manage with available resources amid dry conditions and concerns about El Niño. Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association President George Seremwe said high temperatures and limited water supplies were affecting some crops, while dryland farmers were preparing seedlings for transplanting when sufficient rainfall arrives. Rising input and capital costs also remain a challenge for smallholder farmers, according to Tobacco Farmers Union Trust President Edward Dune.
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Zimbabwe Tobacco Research Shows Progress
Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Research Board (Kutsaga) presented research on fertilizer efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy-saving tobacco curing technologies at the 70th Cooperation Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco (CORESTA) congress, held in Victoria Falls. One study examined the use of biofertilizers to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from tobacco production, finding that combining 75% of the recommended chemical fertilizer application with 75% biofertilizer produced the most promising balance between crop productivity and emissions reduction.
Kutsaga also presented its KCC2 tobacco-curing barn, designed to improve heat and moisture distribution while reducing reliance on grid electricity. Comparative trials found that KCC2 achieved a moisture-uniformity coefficient of variation of 3.11%, compared with 5.03% for its predecessor, KCC1. Malawi’s Agricultural Research and Extension Trust CEO Albert Changaya said his organization wants to adopt the technology and plans to invite Kutsaga engineers to Malawi to facilitate its transfer. Researchers also discussed alternative curing fuels, including liquefied petroleum gas, biomass briquettes, and biogas.
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ITGA Marks World Tobacco Growers’ Day
The International Tobacco Growers’ Association (ITGA) marked World Tobacco Growers’ Day on Oct. 28, an annual observance established in 2012 to recognize tobacco-growing communities worldwide. ITGA President Marcílio Drescher extended his appreciation to tobacco growers and their families, acknowledging the work and challenges involved in farming.
“We understand the hard work, dedication, and challenges that are part of the daily lives of tobacco-growing families,” Drescher said. “That is why we want to extend our warmest regards and heartfelt appreciation to every tobacco grower, as well as to all those who work hard to produce so much of the food we put on our tables.”
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ITGA Forum Examines Oriental Tobacco Markets and Regulation
The International Tobacco Growers’ Association (ITGA) and North Macedonia’s Union of Tobacco Producers held the Oriental Tobacco Forum on Oct. 27 in Prilep, North Macedonia, bringing together growers, researchers, and industry representatives to discuss global leaf markets, production trends, and regulation. North Macedonia has approximately 15,000 tobacco growers who produce 25 million kilograms annually and exports more than $200 million worth of tobacco each year.
ITGA estimates global tobacco production will decline about 5% in 2026 following a strong 2025 crop, with a further decrease projected for 2027. Global Oriental tobacco production is estimated at 138 million kilograms in 2026. Forecasts presented at the forum put North Macedonia’s 2026 crop at 30.8 million kilograms, up 17.5% from 2025, and Bulgarian Oriental production at 4.9 million kilograms, up 43.2%. Greek tobacco production fell to 10.52 million kilograms in 2025 from 12.27 million in 2024, while Turkish tobacco purchases reached approximately 68 million kilograms by the end of August 2026, compared with 48 million kilograms a year earlier.
The forum also covered proposed revisions to EU tobacco product and advertising directives, tobacco excise taxation, and developments under the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. ITGA representatives discussed regulatory effects on growers and rural economies ahead of the treaty’s 12th Conference of the Parties, scheduled for 2027 in Yerevan, Armenia.
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Zimbabwe Reports 50% Firewood Reduction in Tobacco Curing
Zimbabwe’s tobacco sector introduced curing technologies that have reduce firewood consumption by 50%, Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka said at the CORESTA Congress 2026 in Victoria Falls. The Kutsanga organization has developed a rocket barn designed to improve curing efficiency, while the government is promoting alternative fuels and has waived the coal levy to encourage adoption. Masuka said the government plans to begin phasing out the use of indigenous trees during the 2027-2029 seasons and is encouraging tobacco contractors to adopt alternative fuels.
Kutsanga board Chairman Aaron Denenga said the organization is working with contractors and government departments on technologies and education aimed at reducing firewood use and reliance on indigenous timber. Approximately 135,000 predominantly smallholder farmers produce 85% of Zimbabwe’s tobacco.
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Zimbabwe Closing In on $7 Billion Tobacco Industry Target
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.
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CORESTA Holds 70th Congress in Zimbabwe
The Cooperation Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco (CORESTA) opened its 70th congress in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, on Oct. 25, bringing together more than 330 delegates from 30 countries. CORESTA President Helena Digard called for greater international research collaboration, transparency, and adoption of emerging technologies. Held under the theme “Science for Sustainability and Harm Reduction in the Transforming Tobacco Landscape,” the congress covers agricultural research, product characterization, toxicology, exposure science, biomarkers, and analytical methodologies.
The event marks CORESTA’s 70th anniversary and is the first time Zimbabwe has hosted the congress in 63 years, according to Kutsaga Research Board Chairperson Aaron Denenga.
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Zimbabwe Tobacco Exports Surpass $1 Billion
Zimbabwe exported 189.98 million kilograms of tobacco worth $1.003 billion so far this year, up from 154.26 million kilograms valued at $844 million during the same period last year, according to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board. The average export price was $5.28 per kilogram. The Far East was the largest market, accounting for 84.33 million kilograms worth $577.2 million, at an average price of $6.84 per kilogram.
Exports to Africa rose to 42.32 million kilograms valued at $169.4 million, while shipments to the Middle East totaled 22.27 million kilograms worth $69.4 million. Exports to the European Union fell to 19.87 million kilograms valued at $93 million, down from 23.52 million kilograms worth $135.8 million a year earlier. Shipments to other European markets and the Americas increased to 12.49 million kilograms and 8.69 million kilograms, respectively.