Source: How Zim tobacco sector rebounded to record highs – herald
Theseus Shambare
WHEN Welphone Munaki first ventured into tobacco farming in Mt Darwin, he could barely afford inputs for half a hectare.
Like many others who had benefitted from Zimbabwe’s Land Reform Programme, he had the land, but not the know-how, capital or infrastructure to make it productive.
“I used to borrow tools from neighbours and had to walk long distances to get inputs,” he recalled. “There were times I wanted to give up.”
Today, he cultivates over three hectares, owns two curing barns and says tobacco farming has given him the financial means to educate his children, build a homestead and take care of his extended family.
“I started with less than half a hectare,” he told The Sunday Mail recently. “Now, I plant over three hectares. I have built two barns and I can take care of my three wives and children comfortably.”
His transformation mirrors a larger national story that spans two decades of struggle, reform, innovation and resilience.
From the start of the Fast-Track Land Reform Programme in the early 2000s, Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry has not only recovered, but is now achieving historic records.
As of Thursday last week, Zimbabwe had traded more than 302,9 million kilogrammes of flue-cured tobacco, the highest output in the country’s history, according to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB).
For many observers, what makes this achievement remarkable are not just the numbers, but the path it took to get here.
It was a journey that began slowly, and ended with prosperity driven by smallholder farmers, structured reforms and strategic partnerships.
From peak to plunge
At the turn of the millennium, Zimbabwe was one of the world’s most efficient tobacco producers.
In 2000, output peaked at 237 million kg, grown mostly by around 2 000 white commercial farmers.
Then came the Fast-Track Land Reform Programme, which sought to correct colonial-era land ownership imbalances by redistributing commercial farmland to previously landless black Zimbabweans.
While politically transformative, the sudden change affected agricultural production systems when experienced growers exited. By 2008, tobacco output had plunged to just 48 million kg, according to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Crop and Livestock Assessment.
Climate shocks, including successive El Niño-induced droughts in 2002, 2005 and 2008, compounded the decline.
Even in recent seasons, weather volatility continues to pose a threat.
The 2023/2024 drought season, for instance, dragged total sales down by nearly 20 percent, to around 265 million kg.
Turning point
The sector’s revival began with the introduction of contract farming, a model in which merchants provide farmers with seeds, fertilisers and chemicals in exchange for the right to purchase their crop at pre-agreed prices.
By 2014, production had climbed back to 216 million kg.
But the industry’s structure had fundamentally changed.
The majority of growers were now smallholder farmers, many on resettled land. Today, over 127 000 farmers are registered with TIMB, and more than 85 percent of the tobacco is produced by small-scale growers like Munaki.
This broad base has become the foundation of Zimbabwe’s tobacco resurgence.
New partnerships, better yields
In recent years, the Government introduced joint venture models between resettled farmers and private investors.
These partnerships have brought in much-needed capital, irrigation infrastructure and mechanisation, helping raise productivity on land that was previously underutilised.
“Joint ventures have become a key part of our production ecosystem,” said TIMB chief executive Mr Emmanuel Matsvaire. “The highest yields this season came from these structured partnerships.”
Favourable rainfall in some regions, improved agronomic practices and steady access to inputs also played a critical role in boosting yields.
As a result, the 2025 tobacco crop has already earned over US$1 billion, up from US$714,9 million at the same point in 2024.
To the delight of farmers, prices have also remained firm, averaging US$3,36 to US$3,43 per kg, while tobacco sold to premium export markets like China fetched as much as US$5,71 per kg.
A modern, regulated marketplace
This season, 95 percent of tobacco was sold under contract, with only 5 percent passing through traditional auction floors, underscoring the formalisation of the sector.
Zimbabwe is now the fourth-largest producer of flue-cured tobacco globally, trailing only China, Brazil and India, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. In 2024 alone, the country exported 243,4 million kg of tobacco, generating US$1,4 billion, making it one of Zimbabwe’s single largest foreign currency earners.
By contrast, regional competitor Malawi has struggled with unstable production.
The Tobacco Commission of Malawi reported a sharp drop in output from 123 million kg in 2021 to 85 million kg in 2023, driven by erratic rainfall and the breakdown of poorly enforced contract schemes.
Policy reform
Zimbabwe’s gains have not been accidental. They stem from deliberate policy reforms, strategic partnerships and institutional strengthening.
Launched in 2021, the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan aims to increase local processing to 30 percent by 2025.
While that target remains work in progress, beneficiation has already risen to just over 10 percent, according to TIMB’s 2024 Annual Report.
Incentives have attracted investment into cigarette manufacturing, cut-rag processing and packaging.
Meanwhile, reforms to improve regulation and transparency have continued at pace.
TIMB has rolled out biometric grower registration, GPS mapping of tobacco fields and stricter penalties for side marketing. In April 2025, the regulator became the first public institution in Zimbabwe to receive a clean audit under International Public Sector Accounting Standards — a significant governance milestone.
Work ahead
Yet even with these gains, challenges persist.
According to TIMB’s quality control unit, 12 percent of the tobacco delivered to auction floors this year was rejected due to poor grading and high moisture content, signalling that farmer training and quality control still need strengthening.
Environmental sustainability is another lingering concern.
Most farmers continue to use firewood for curing tobacco, a practice that accelerates deforestation.
To tackle this, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development is piloting clean energy solutions, including biogas- and solar-powered curing barns in Guruve, Rusape and Mutasa.
These efforts aim to cut carbon emissions, protect forests and lower input costs over time.
Impact
The tobacco sub-sector’s impact on the Zimbabwean economy is massive.
A 2024 Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) agricultural employment report estimates that over 1,2 million jobs are supported by the sub-sector.
From field labour to transport, warehousing to processing, the golden leaf touches nearly six million Zimbabweans.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri said the 2025 milestone was the result of long-term planning and consistent policy execution.
“This 302 million kilogramme achievement is not accidental,” he said. “It is the product of policy reforms, strategic support systems and the determination of farmers across the country.”
He noted that the country has entered the second phase of its land reforms, focusing on productivity rather than access.
“We have moved from land access to land productivity,” he said. “And tobacco is the clearest example of how that shift is yielding results.”
TIMB’s Mr Matsvaire agrees: “We are no longer just exporting leaf. We are building a sector defined by transparency, smart partnerships and long-term sustainability.
“That is what makes this season a true milestone.”
The tobacco industry’s experience is increasingly being seen as a model for inclusive, post-land reform agricultural growth.
The journey may have taken nearly two decades, but the results are undeniable.
From a production low of 48 million kg in 2008 to more than 302 million kg today, the journey offers lessons in resilience, reform and the power of coordinated effort.
Behind every kilogramme of tobacco is a story like Munaki’s, that of land, labour and the life-changing power of a second chance that was seized and made to count.
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