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Tag: tobacco farmers

  • Zimbabwe Tobacco Farmers Want Forex Review as Season Approaches

    Zimbabwe Tobacco Farmers Want Forex Review as Season Approaches

    As Zimbabwe prepares for the March 4 opening of the 2026 tobacco marketing season, growers are urging authorities to review the 70:30 foreign currency retention policy, arguing that receiving 30% of payments in local currency (ZiG) erodes profits as most production costs are pegged in U.S. dollars. Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association chairman George Seremwe said farmers are ready for the season but want the policy aligned with input costs, while Tobacco Farmers Union Trust president Edward Dune noted that fertilizers and other inputs are sold in foreign currency, reducing the real value of local currency payments. The marketing season, announced by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), will coincide with the launch of the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan 2, which targets 500 million kg annually by 2030, with more than 400 million kg expected this year.

    TIMB said it has licensed 48 contractors and 46 Class A buyers for the 2025/26 season, with three auction floors — Tobacco Sales Floor, Premier Tobacco Auction Floors and Ethical Sales Floor — set to operate. Authorities are also cracking down on side marketing and informal buyers offering low prices, while farmer groups including the Zimbabwe National Farmers Union have urged growers to sell through formal channels to secure better returns. With 113,327 registered growers and a 15% increase in planted hectarage, officials say the 2026 crop outlook remains positive, reinforcing Zimbabwe’s position as Africa’s leading tobacco producer.

  • Malawi’s MNT Concerned Over CSR, Rogue Farmers  

    Malawi’s MNT Concerned Over CSR, Rogue Farmers  

    Malawi’s Media Network on Tobacco (MNT) raised alarm over what it describes as persistently low levels of corporate social responsibility among tobacco buying companies, urging them to take meaningful steps to support farmers and surrounding communities. Speaking during an interface meeting with journalists, MNT President Alfred Chauwa also condemned the growing practice of farmers selling their tobacco before the official market opening, warning that it exposes them to exploitation. He said some farmers are accepting prices as low as K4,000 ($2.32) per kg, a move he described as damaging to livelihoods and the broader tobacco value chain.

    Chauwa encouraged farmers to diversify into early maturing crops in line with the Tobacco Industry Act, which promotes agricultural diversification. He further highlighted the effects of climate change on farming, calling for increased participation in tree-planting initiatives to restore the environment. Expressing concern over declining tobacco quality in several areas, he urged farmers to adopt best agricultural practices to secure better prices. Chauwa also appealed to the government to deploy more extension workers to provide technical support, saying improved guidance is critical to boosting productivity, quality, and long-term sustainability in the tobacco sector.

  • Withheld Funds Crippling Philippine Tobacco Farmers

    Withheld Funds Crippling Philippine Tobacco Farmers

    Billions of pesos (1 peso currently equals 0.017 USD) in tobacco excise tax shares earmarked for Philippine tobacco-growing provinces from 2023 to 2025 remain unreleased, triggering mounting frustration among industry leaders and farmers in the Ilocos region, according to the Philippine Star. Long regarded as the “Solid North” that underpinned President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s electoral support, tobacco farmers now warn that the government’s failure to remit funds mandated under Republic Act 7171 threatens rural livelihoods amid rising production costs. Industry representatives said the prolonged delay has crippled critical programs intended to support farmer self-reliance and local development.

    Former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson, author of RA 7171, said that despite the signing of the P6.79-trillion ($115.4 billion) 2026 national budget, excise tax shares from the previous three years remain unpaid. He warned that the withholding of funds has created service gaps that undermine socio-economic stability in tobacco-producing areas, preventing local government units from addressing urgent needs and advancing infrastructure and agricultural projects. Singson emphasized that tobacco remains a pillar of the national economy and that the law was designed to provide local government units with consistent, predictable resources.

    Singson expressed cautious optimism that the appointment of Acting Budget Secretary Rolando Toledo could help resolve compliance bottlenecks delaying the releases. He urged the national government to honor its commitments, calling for the funds to be released within 30 days to avert further hardship. Pointing to Ilocos Sur’s plans to expand irrigation, road networks, and tourism infrastructure, he described it as ironic that excise tax shares vital to these initiatives remain withheld, despite the province being recognized by the Commission on Audit as the country’s richest.

  • Philippines Defends Tobacco-Growers at COP11

    Philippines Defends Tobacco-Growers at COP11

    The Philippine delegation at COP11 earned praise from agricultural and civil society groups for emphasizing the country’s sovereign right to evaluate proposed global measures according to national priorities and capacities. Ambassador Carlos Sorreta, head of the delegation, highlighted the need for “socially and economically responsible” transitions that protect communities dependent on tobacco cultivation, noting that the crop continues to support livelihoods across nearly 20 provinces.

    Sorreta underscored that FCTC guidance is non-binding and should complement existing national efforts rather than impose restrictions. Local organizations, including the Northern Luzon Alliance, applauded this stance, warning that measures such as ending government support, imposing quotas, or phasing out tobacco sales would be “unrealistic, overly punitive and incompatible with the country’s agricultural and economic realities,” potentially threatening rural livelihoods and linked industries.

    The Federation of Free Farmers echoed these concerns, noting tobacco’s critical role in sustaining rural communities. It commended the delegation for prioritizing farmers’ welfare, arguing that the approach reflects a clear understanding of on-the-ground realities and protects not only the economic stability of tobacco-growing regions but also the dignity and future of the families who rely on this crop.

  • Zimbabwe Sees Steep Decline in Registered Tobacco Farmers for Next Season

    Zimbabwe Sees Steep Decline in Registered Tobacco Farmers for Next Season

    Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) announced that 82,965 farmers registered to grow tobacco for the 2025/26 season, with the registration deadline closing October 31. Both new and returning growers are required to pay a $10 registration fee before starting production. Farmers who miss the deadline now face penalties — ranging from $10 to $90, depending on how late they register.

    According to The Herald, the TIMB announced more than 126,000 registered tobacco growers for the 2024/25 season.

    TIMB said registration is crucial for industry planning, forecasting, and maintaining market stability. The board uses the data to estimate crop size, monitor trends, and ensure smooth marketing operations. Zimbabwe remains Africa’s largest producer of flue-cured tobacco, with this year’s output reaching 355 million kilograms worth $1.2 billion.

  • Malawian Tobacco Farmers Advised to Adhere to Quotas Next Season

    Malawian Tobacco Farmers Advised to Adhere to Quotas Next Season

    Tama Farmers Trust advised Malawian tobacco farmers to strictly follow Tobacco Commission (TC) quotas in the 2025/26 growing season to prevent overproduction and prolonging the selling process, which would potentially disrupt next season. The 2024/25 season, which opened in April, will close on October 24, making it one of the longest in recent years.

    Initial projections estimated Malawi would produce 174.4 million kg of tobacco this year, but because of favorable weather conditions was able to sell 214 million kg for $532 million, up from last year’s $396 million.

    Trust president Abiel Kalima Banda praised TC for ensuring that all produced tobacco was sold, with remaining volumes being purchased through the Smallholder Farmers Fertiliser Revolving Fund of Malawi to guarantee full sales.

  • Zimbabwe: Decline in New Tobacco Growers

    Zimbabwe: Decline in New Tobacco Growers

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter Archive

    The number of new tobacco growers in Zimbabwe for the 2021–2022 season has declined by 50 percent compared to the previous year, according to a report in The Herald.

    According to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), 756 of the new registered farmers are from the communal sector, 244 are A1 farmers, 38 are from the small-scale commercial sector and 56 are from the A2 sector.

    Meanwell Gudu, TIMB chief executive, attributed the decline in new registrations to viability issues. “The decline witnessed in terms of registration of new tobacco growers can be attributed to viability issues. The cost of production is going up and the growing demand of the U.S. dollar component in the operations,” he said. “Even farm laborers now demand payment in foreign currency. So without development funding, it becomes a challenge for new tobacco farmers to register.”

    Meanwhile, average prices for tobacco exports have marginally increased this year.

    “There [are] increased exports, which is a clear reflection of the opening up of the economy post-Covid-19 lockdowns, and there are improvements in logistics,” Gudu said.

    So far, Zimbabwe has exported tobacco worth $307.8 million this season compared to $222.2 million in the same period last year.