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Category: Agriculture & Sustainability

  • Tanzanian President Pledges to Strengthen Tobacco Sector in Re-Election Campaign

    Tanzanian President Pledges to Strengthen Tobacco Sector in Re-Election Campaign

    Campaigning in Tabora Region on September 11, Tanzanian President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan vowed to strengthen the country’s tobacco sector if reelected, promising expanded subsidies, improved access to farm inputs, and reliable international markets. She cited recent gains, with Urambo District’s tobacco output doubling from 11,208 tons in 2022 to 20,492 tons in 2025, generating $50 million in earnings in the 2024/25 financial year. Samia highlighted government efforts to attract buyers, raise farmer incomes, and secure long-term growth in what she called the region’s main cash crop.

    Addressing concerns from growers, she pledged to resolve delayed payments by some purchasing companies and reiterated that subsidies on fertilizers and inputs will continue under her administration. While pushing for even greater output, she also urged farmers to adopt modern, sustainable curing methods, warning against tree cutting for tobacco drying. Samia framed tobacco as both a national economic driver and a livelihood lifeline for rural communities, positioning her re-election bid as key to unlocking “even more profitable markets” for Tanzanian farmers.

  • Zimbabwe Hits Record Tobacco Output, Faces Climate Risks

    Zimbabwe Hits Record Tobacco Output, Faces Climate Risks

    Zimbabwe closed its 2025 tobacco marketing season with a record 352.7 million kilograms sold, generating $1.2 billion in revenue—a 53% increase from last year, underscoring the crop’s role as the country’s top foreign currency earner.

    Analysts warn, however, that the gains remain fragile. Industry stakeholders are urging investment in dams, irrigation, and climate-smart practices to sustain growth. Without intervention, they say, Zimbabwe’s record output may prove unsustainable in the face of mounting environmental pressures.

    The sector, dominated by smallholder farmers without irrigation infrastructure, is increasingly vulnerable to climate shocks such as last year’s El Niño-induced drought. Tobacco curing also contributes to deforestation, compounding water scarcity challenges.

  • Pakistan Tobacco Board Criticized over Multinational Quota

    Pakistan Tobacco Board Criticized over Multinational Quota

    Leaders of the Ittehad Kashthkaran Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (IKKP) said a multinational tobacco company was instructed by the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) to purchase 1.5 million kg of flue-cured Virginia (FCV) from Swabi growers, guaranteeing a minimum price of Rs743 ($2.60) per kg, according to an article published today by the local e-paper Dawn.

     “An official of a multinational national company said on condition of anonymity that the quota which was given to Philips Morris International (PMI) Pakistan was actually agreed with the Swabi growers under the agreements executed with them as it was purchased by the PMI in Shergar, Mardan district, but the PTB officials bound them to buy the 1.5 million kg tobacco in Swabi,” the article credited to an unnamed correspondent said.

    In the article, IKKP leaders criticized government inaction and PTB policies, urging that remaining tobacco be purchased promptly to prevent financial losses for farmers, who rely heavily on this crop for their yearly income. They said with a large quantity remaining unpurchased, the PTB should also oblige other companies to buy the crop from the farmers on time and give up the policy of declaring the remaining tobacco surplus to be purchased from the farmers at low price.

    “The PTB has not played its due role,” Daud Jan Khan, central vice-chairman of the IKKP, was quoted. “The companies have also left no stone unturned to cause as much financial damage to tobacco growers as they could.”

  • Tanzania Tobacco Farmers Near Tree-Planting Target

    Tanzania Tobacco Farmers Near Tree-Planting Target

    Tanzania’s tobacco farmers have achieved 97.3% of their three-year tree-planting goal, planting 145 million trees out of the 150 million targeted since 2022, the Tanzania Tobacco Board (TTB) said. TTB Director General Stanley Mnozya said the initiative combats deforestation caused by tobacco curing with firewood, with each farmer required to plant at least 500 trees per hectare. Companies including Japan Tobacco International and Alliance One have supported the effort, contributing 20 million trees.

    The government has also allocated 4 billion shillings ($1.6 million) for modern drying facilities and introduced tobacco seed varieties that can be dried with solar or electricity instead of wood. This season, tobacco output rose to 183 million kilograms worth 1.3 trillion shillings ($520 million), up from 117 million kilograms last season. Tanzania exports up to 97% of its crop annually.

  • Pakistani Tobacco Farmers Need Protection Amid Export Boom

    Pakistani Tobacco Farmers Need Protection Amid Export Boom

    Muhammad Ameen, chairman of Pakistan’s Fair Trade in Tobacco (FTT), called on authorities and the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) to intervene and safeguard smallholder farmers, citing delayed payments and illegal underpricing of crops. He said that continued mishandling of the current crop by the local companies will damage the domestic economy and threaten Pakistan’s credibility as a reliable exporter.

    “Tobacco farmers are being pushed to the brink,” Ameen said. “They are being forced to sell their crop at prices Rs. 200 ($0.70) below the legally mandated weighted average, and the payments they are owed are being delayed. If we allow local crops to be spoiled or go unsold, our international buyers will look elsewhere. We risk losing markets just as we’re beginning to gain ground.”

    Ameen warned that non-compliance with PTB purchase quotas threatens the sector’s backbone, despite a 158% surge in tobacco exports in FY 2024–25, from $64.4 million to $166.5 million.

  • Wilson, N.C., Tobacco Market Opens for 136th Season

    Wilson, N.C., Tobacco Market Opens for 136th Season

    The Wilson, North Carolina, tobacco market opened its 136th season this week with the first bales selling at $1.85 per pound, marking the start of sales at the American Tobacco Exchange and Horizon Limited. Industry leaders said about 75% of U.S. flue-cured tobacco passes through Wilson, cementing its role as the hub of the leaf trade.

    Farmers, buyers, and officials gathered to celebrate the tradition, with U.S. Rep. Don Davis praising tobacco’s impact on eastern North Carolina. “The opening of this market has withstood year after year longer than any of us that are standing here,” Davis said, highlighting the crop’s role in feeding families and funding education.

    Buyers described this year’s crop as strong, with “large, meaty lugs” and solid early demand. Despite concerns over heavy rains in some areas, growers and industry figures said the turnout showed continued enthusiasm for a market that remains “the heart and core” of the region’s economy.

  • Zimbabwe: Push for Local Participation, More Tobacco Processing

    Zimbabwe: Push for Local Participation, More Tobacco Processing

    Industry experts are calling for a more inclusive and diversified tobacco sector in Zimbabwe, urging greater opportunities for small-scale indigenous players in value addition and exports.

    Speaking at the 2025 Tobacco Conference, Mutandwa Mutasa, from the Zimbabwe Progressive Tobacco Farmers Association, said the industry remains dominated by foreign companies, with locals largely excluded from lucrative processing and manufacturing stages. He proposed measures including indigenous export quotas, government-backed production guarantees, and mandatory sourcing of tobacco volumes through local companies. Mutasa also called for more indigenous professionals in key industry roles.

    While land reform has expanded primary production to nearly 150,000 farmers, 90% of Zimbabwe’s tobacco is still exported semi-processed, with most profits captured abroad. Experts say a strong indigenization roadmap is needed to secure a larger share of the value chain for local players.

  • Pakistani Tobacco Growers Struggle to Sell Surplus Crop

    Pakistani Tobacco Growers Struggle to Sell Surplus Crop

    Tobacco farmers in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swabi district are enduring three to four days in open-air queues to sell flue-cured Virginia tobacco to multinational companies, as a surplus crop creates a buyers’ bottleneck.

    While those with purchase agreements secure better prices, many growers without contracts are left waiting with no guaranteed sale. Officials estimate this year’s production at over 100 million kilograms, 20 million kg above the announced combined demand declared by 80 purchasing companies. Farmers say selling to smaller national buyers often means delayed payments, sometimes for months or years. A parliamentary sub-committee will visit tobacco-growing districts to address the crisis, which follows crop losses from hail and storms.

    Last fiscal year, the federal government collected Rs300 billion ($1.1 billion) in taxes from the sector, mostly from two multinational firms, Pakistan Tobacco Company and Philip Morris International, raising concerns about market imbalance and buyer accountability.

  • China Fuels Zimbabwe’s Record-Breaking $1.2B Tobacco Season

    China Fuels Zimbabwe’s Record-Breaking $1.2B Tobacco Season

    Zimbabwe’s 2025 tobacco marketing season closed yesterday (August 7), with farmers earning a record $1.2 billion from 352.7 million kilograms of the golden leaf, significantly surpassing the 300 million kg target. About 11% of total production was sold to China, according to the Tobacco Industry & Marketing Board (TIMB).

    “The global demand for tobacco also pushed the prices,” TIMB chairman Patrick Devenish said in an interview. “The Chinese are our biggest customers and the demand for nicotine through the vaping business also had a good effect for us.”

    According to TIMB data, the average 2025 price was $3.32/kg, slightly down from last year’s $3.43. Auction prices peaked at $4.99/kg, while contract growers saw highs of $6.30/kg. Lands and Agriculture Permanent Secretary Prof. Obert Jiri hailed the season as a milestone for the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan, urging greater local value addition, which currently stands at 10.15%, toward a 30% goal under the National Development Strategy 1.

    With 93% of production under contract farming, the government is working to refine the system and has proposed a $50 million agriculture fund. Stakeholders emphasized the need for local financing to reduce reliance on foreign currency and boost cigarette manufacturing, which currently produces 4 billion sticks annually against a 17 billion-stick capacity.

    Zimbabwe, the world’s fifth-largest tobacco producer, has over 140,000 active farmers.

  • Pakistan Enjoys 158% Tobacco Export Increase 

    Pakistan Enjoys 158% Tobacco Export Increase 

    Pakistan’s tobacco exports increased 158.3% in the 2024-25 fiscal year, rising to $166.5 million from the previous year’s $64.5 million, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). In terms of quantity, exports surged from 18,282 to 43,520 metric tons over that period.