ZIMBABWE has set a new record in tobacco production, with deliveries during the current marketing season having surpassed the 2022-23 season’s record figure of 296 million kilogrammes.
Latest statistics by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) show that over 299 million kgs of the golden leaf have gone under the hammer, with farmers raking in over US$1 billion for the first time in history.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka described this new record as another milestone achievement by the Second Republic under stewardship of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“Zimbabwe recorded another significant milestone under the Second Republic, led by the able leadership of President Mnangagwa. Farmers have delivered 299 million kilogrammes of tobacco, surpassing the previous record of 296 million set in 2023. Importantly, this has translated to earnings of over US$1 billion for our farmers, a first in the country’s history.”
The government is now projecting tobacco deliveries to go up to 330 million kilogrammes, putting Zimbabwe on the world map as one of the biggest producers of the golden leaf.
“This cements Zimbabwe’s status as the largest producer of tobacco in Africa, and potentially the third or fourth largest globally. Our tobacco is exported to 60 countries worldwide. I would like to thank all stakeholders, particularly our hardworking smallholder farmers who constitute 85 percent of all producers, and contractors who finance 93 percent of tobacco production.”
The new record dovetails with the Tobacco Value Addition Chain Growth Plan that calls for local funding of tobacco production, and targets to make the tobacco industry a US$5 billion sector by 2030.
