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.