Tag: Zimbabwe

  • Zimbabwe to Phase Out Ethylene Dibromide

    Zimbabwe to Phase Out Ethylene Dibromide

    The Kutsaga Tobacco Research Center in Zimbabwe announced the phaseout of ethylene dibromide (EDB) effective Dec. 31.

    In a notice to the industry, Kutsaga said the measure was necessary to ensure that the country’s leaf tobacco meets international standards. More than 90 percent of Zimbabwe’s tobacco crop is exported.

    “No person shall treat any tobacco with a remedy which is not registered nor reap of offer for sale any tobacco treated with nonregistered remedy,” the notice read. “Furthermore, any tobacco so treated will be destroyed without compensation to the grower.”

    Zimbabwean tobacco farmers have used the agrochemical for soil fumigation for many years. According to Kutsaga, there are several alternative nematicides and soil formulations available for nematode control. The research station is also evaluating new active ingredients.

    EDB joins a growing list of banned fungicides, growth regulators, herbicides and insecticides in Zimbabwe. Other prohibited chemicals include benomyl, butralin and alachlor.

    The agrochemical’s discontinuation notice comes as the Zimbabwean tobacco sector anticipates record-breaking tobacco yields for the 2024–2025 growing season, thanks to heightened prospects of good rainfalls due to the La Nina weather phenomenon.

  • Zimbabwe: Growers Confident About Targets Despite Drought

    Zimbabwe: Growers Confident About Targets Despite Drought

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Tobacco growers in Zimbabwe are confident that they will achieve the targeted 300 million kg in the 2024–2025 cropping season despite the current dry spell, reports The Zimbabwe Mail.

    While part of the tobacco crop has started showing signs of moisture stress, farmer groups are still hopeful that the projected 2025 yield is achievable.

    “In some areas, the crop might be stressed, but we have hope because the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) is telling us that this was a bit expected because they had already indicated that the season will start in a normal to below-normal situation,” said Zimbabwe Farmers Union chief economist Prince Kuipa.

    In October, the MSD still expected La Nina to develop in the October-November-December period and play a key role in rainfall distribution across much of the country.

    A forecast issued in August this year showed that there were chances of normal to below-normal rains in the mentioned period, with normal to above-normal rainfall in the last half of the 2024–2025 season.

    As of Dec. 6, 2024, farmers had transplanted 66,438 ha compared to 61,380 ha during the same period last year, according to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board.

    Zimbabwe’s flue-cured tobacco exports are primarily destined for markets in the Far East, Middle East, Africa, the European Union, the Americas, Europe and Oceania.

    Under its Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan, the government aims to significantly boost the value generated by Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry.

  • Zimbabwe Urged to Mitigate Farmers’ Losses

    Zimbabwe Urged to Mitigate Farmers’ Losses

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    The Tobacco Farmers Union Trust (TFUT) is calling for the localization of tobacco beneficiation to help mitigate losses caused by adverse weather conditions and soaring production costs in Zimbabwe’s tobacco sector.

    The appeal follows a 20 percent drop in production, with farmers yielding 231 million kg of tobacco during the 2023–2024 farming season, largely attributed to a drought induced by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

    Tobacco beneficiation refers to the process of adding value to raw tobacco, enhancing its quality, usability and application beyond its conventional uses. Through its Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan, the Zimbabwean government aims to elevate the economic value of tobacco, ultimately benefiting both farmers and the broader economy by creating higher value products and generating jobs within the supply chain.

    “Tobacco margins continue to dwindle due to low yields associated with low rainfall patterns and skyrocketing input costs. High earnings often reported in the public domain are mainly benefiting some merchants, contractors and related value chain actors,” said Edward Dune, deputy president of the TFUT, in an interview with NewsDay Business. According to Dune, the localization of tobacco product beneficiation is a key objective of a forthcoming tobacco transformation plan.

  • TIMB Joins GlobalG.A.P.

    TIMB Joins GlobalG.A.P.

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has joined GLOBALG.A.P. to help tobacco farmers diversify their operations, reports The Sunday Mail. As part of the government’s Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan, the agency aims to ensure that 30 percent of tobacco farmers’ income comes from alternative crops by 2025.

    GLOBALG.A.P. is an international membership network designed to promote sustainable and safe agricultural practices across the food supply chain.

    Members include producers, retailers, food service companies and other stakeholders who align with the organization’s vision of responsible farming. The community offers opportunities for members to collaborate on setting and refining standards for food safety, sustainability and animal welfare.

    Through the GLOBALG.A.P. Academy, the TIMB has trained certified trainers to build farmers’ capacity in meeting international market standards.

    Additionally, the TIMB now offers GLOBALG.A.P consultancy services to exporting farmers. The agency is also working to develop markets for alternative crops such as sweet potatoes and butternut.

  • Contractors Required to Supply Tree Seedlings

    Contractors Required to Supply Tree Seedlings

    Photo: Joao Bispo

    Starting this season, tobacco contractors operating in Zimbabwe will be required to supply their growers with tree seedlings to establish woodlots, reports The Herald. The goal is to provide tobacco farmers with a sustainable source of curing fuel.

    The shift from commercial tobacco farming to small-scale production in Zimbabwe has put considerable pressure on the country’s forest cover, given that smallholders tend to use wood rather than coal in their operations.

    As Zimbabwe aims to increase tobacco cultivation under the government’s Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan, it is at pains to minimize the environmental impact of growth.

    The requirement to provide seedlings is part of a number of Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) initiatives to promote sustainability.

    TIMB acting CEO Emmanuel Matsvaire said his organization was promoting best agricultural practices, environmental management and social and human rights to improve socioeconomic conditions for tobacco growers and their communities.

  • Zimbabwe: Preparation for Growing Season on Track

    Zimbabwe: Preparation for Growing Season on Track

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    The Zimbabwean tobacco industry is increasingly confident it will achieve 300 million kg in the 2024–2025 season, reports The Herald.

    In a statement on Oct. 10, Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board Public Affairs Officer Chelesani Tsarwe said preparations for the upcoming growing season were progressing well, with most farmers expressing optimism about the cropping period.

    With consistent rainfall and moderate temperatures expected, farmers are better positioned to maximize their outputs than they were in the most recent growing season.  

    “We are optimistic about achieving the set target, thanks to the favorable weather forecast,” said Tsarwe.

    Despite the drought caused by El Nino, tobacco fared relatively well last year. The yield decreased by 20 percent from the previous season, reaching about 231 million kg in 2023.

    As of Oct. 4, 2024, Zimbabwe had exported 159.43 million kg of tobacco valued at $833.99 million compared to 143.23 million kg during the same period last year.

    “The average export price this year stands at $5.23, marking an increase from $4.99 recorded during the same period last year,” said Tsarwe.

    Last year, the country earned $1.3 billion from tobacco exports, up 30 percent over 2022.

    Eager to capture more value from the tobacco business, the government wants Zimbabwe to boost leaf output and move into value-added activities such as cigarette manufacturing.

  • Land Reform Beneficiaries to Receive Tenure

    Land Reform Beneficiaries to Receive Tenure

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Zimbabwe will give Black farmers who benefited from land seizures in the early 2000s tenure, allowing them to use their properties as collateral or sell them, reports Bloomberg.

    “All land held by beneficiaries of the land reform program under 99-year leases, offer letters and permits will now be held under a bankable, registrable and transferable more secure document of tenure, to be issued by the government,” said Information Minister Jenfan Muswere Oct. 8 in Harare.

    The latest “measures will have a huge impact on our economic growth, and will unlock the full value of the land while enhancing the performance of our economy,” Muswere said. “This will facilitate accelerated investments in agriculture and associated value chains, which include irrigation, dam construction, power supply and rural road construction.”

    Nearly two decades ago, Zimbabwe under then President Robert Mugabe began seizing properties from commercial farmers, including many tobacco farmers, in order to redress “colonial imbalances.”

    Most prime properties in the country were held by whites, who constitute a minority of Zimbabwe’s population

    The controversial land reform program caused Zimbabwe’s agricultural industry and tobacco output to collapse, causing a severe economic crisis characterized by hyperinflation and other problems.

    Whereas Zimbabwe’s entire tobacco crop was once supplied by perhaps 1,500 large-scale growers, today’s crop is supplied more than 100,000 smallholders.

    The southern African country has since agreed to pay $3.5 billion in compensation to the white commercial farmers.

    In terms of volume, the tobacco industry has recovered from land reform. In 2023, Zimbabwe harvested a record 296 million kg and earned more than $1 billion from leaf exports.

  • TIMB Deploys Biometrics to Curb Side Marketing

    TIMB Deploys Biometrics to Curb Side Marketing

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) is pioneering a new biometric management system to curb side marketing, a practice in which farmers sell their crops to noncontracting merchants and deprive the investor of his tobacco.

    The regulatory body is collecting fingerprints from each tobacco farmer and linking them to their unique grower number. The biometric data is complemented by GPS coordinates of the growers’ farms. When farmers collect inputs, contractors can verify a growers’ authenticity using a scanner.

    The system makes it impossible for farmers to contract with multiple tobacco merchants. It also captures the indebtedness of farmers, minimizing the potential for contractors to manipulate the growers’ financial obligations.

    “The system will help eliminate corrupt elements by verifying their identities and improving the stop order system to prevent the misuse of growers’ numbers,” TIMB acting CEO Emmanuel Matsvaire told The Sunday Mail.

    The old system, which relied solely on registration, allowed nonfarmers to participate in the market, fueling side marketing and leading to high rates of default.

    Side marketing remains a significant problem in the Zimbabwean tobacco industry, responsible for millions of dollars in lost revenue.

    In 2023, TIMB blocked nearly 550 grower numbers on suspicion of their use in side marketing. In 2021, five exporters alone lost $57 million due to the practice.

    Meanwhile, preparations for the upcoming cropping season are progressing as the country seeks to achieve a tobacco yield of 300 million kg, according to Matsvaire.

    Despite the El Nino drought that destroyed various crops last year, tobacco performed relatively well, declining by 20 percent to approximately 231 million kg from a record 297 million kg during the previous season.

    This season’s target aligns with the government’s Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan, which also aims to enhance beneficiation and raise local funding.

  • Atlas to Increase Air-Cured Production

    Atlas to Increase Air-Cured Production

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Atlas Agri Zimbabwe plans to significantly increase its air-cured tobacco hectarage this season.

    According to The Herald, the sole contractor of this variety in Zimbabwe intends to grow 100 ha in 2024–2025.

    “So far, we have engaged over 150 farmers to produce the crop on over 100 hectares, up from last year’s 10 hectares that were done by 17 farmers,” Atlas Agri CEO Alex Mackay was quoted as saying.

    According to Mackay, many of the farmers who participated in the inaugural test expressed satisfaction with their sales. The top performing grower delivered 608 kg and received an average price of USD3.10 per kilogram.

    The success of the project has attracted more farmers.

    “We have seen over 300 new farmers applying for contracts, expanding our reach to Plum Tree, Fig Tree and the wider Mangwe region,” said Mackay. “Looking ahead, we have several initiatives in the pipeline aimed at enhancing yield and quality.”

    Atlas Agri aims to boost returns for its farmers while protecting the environment. Instead of relying on wood for curing fuel, the company’s contracted farmers rely entirely on natural elements.

    With the support and guidance from Agritex and the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), the company hopes to benefit both farmers and the economy in line with the government’s Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan, according to Mackay.

    TIMB acting CEO Emmanuel Matsvaire noted that the cost of producing air-cured tobacco is relatively low at around USD400 per hectare.

  • Zimbabwe Firms Seek Help Entering Foreign Markets

    Zimbabwe Firms Seek Help Entering Foreign Markets

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Representatives of indigenous tobacco companies have asked the Zimbabwean government to help them secure export markets to widen their revenue base, reports The Herald.

    Company officials met separately with the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement chaired by Felix Maburutse on Sept. 20.

    Richard Machingura, head of operations and agronomy at Norton Leaf Tobacco, said indigenous-owned companies in the tobacco sector were struggling to access foreign markets and would benefit from assistance from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board, which regulates the domestic industry.  

    “As tobacco companies, we are also facing some challenges in the markets,” he was quoted as saying. “You will find that most of our tobacco locally, we are just doing the intermediate trading. So, we have a challenge of markets where we are not really able to export our tobacco, and this is affecting the growth of our industry,” he said.

    Zimbabwe’s tobacco export earnings increased 138 percent year-on-year to reach $436 million in the first quarter of this year.

    Traditionally a leading exporter of flue-cured Virginia, the country aims to extract more revenue from the business by moving to higher value products, such as cigarettes.

    In 2021, the government adopted the tobacco value chain transformation plan, which seeks to build a $5 billion industry by 2025.