Source: The Herald – Breaking news.
Elita Chikwati
Agriculture News Editor
ZIMBABWE and China are set to hold an inaugural tobacco expo in September to facilitate exchange of ideas, showcase innovative technologies, and explore transformative solutions for Zimbabwe’s tobacco value chain, from seedbed cultivation to final cigarette production.
This follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board and the Asia-Europe and Africa Joint Trade and Investment Promotion Association (AEA Association) last Friday.
The initiative aligns with Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan, which focuses on increasing local value addition, while reducing raw tobacco exports.
The MoU formalised a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and China in the tobacco sector.
The expo is designed to strengthen bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and China, bringing together key stakeholders from both nations, as well as other African countries.
TIMB acting chief executive, Mr Emmanuel Matsvaire, said the Expo would lead to solutions for some challenges affecting the industry.
“Some of the challenges we face in Zimbabwe’s tobacco sector may already have solutions in China.
“This expo is about connecting Zimbabwean tobacco growers and industry players with Chinese innovations that enhance productivity, promote sustainability and increase value addition,” he said.
The expo concept was conceived during the 2024 China International Import Expo in Shanghai, where TIMB officials engaged with representatives from the AEA Association and saw immense potential for collaboration.
With support from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and ZimTrade, the relationship was formalised to bring Chinese expertise and technologies into the Zimbabwean context.
The expo will include main exhibition halls, conferencing sessions, field tours, live demonstrations and stakeholder networking platforms.
Farmers, merchants, input suppliers, financiers, processors and researchers to Government agencies and private sector players from Zimbabwe, China and across Africa are expected to participate.
One of the key areas of focus will be sustainable tobacco curing technologies.
China has successfully eliminated wood use in curing tobacco, an innovation Zimbabwe seeks to adopt to reduce deforestation and operational costs for growers.
The expo will offer a platform for proven technologies to be showcased and potentially adapted locally. One of the key areas of focus will be sustainable tobacco curing technologies.
According to TIMB, China has successfully eliminated wood use in curing tobacco, an innovation Zimbabwe seeks to adopt to reduce deforestation and operational costs for growers.
The expo will offer a platform for such proven technologies to be showcased and potentially adapted locally.
“We are excited to bridge the gap between local needs and global solutions. The Expo will not only celebrate Zimbabwe-China relations but also chart a progressive path for sustainable and profitable tobacco farming in Africa,” said Mr Matsvaire.
China remains Zimbabwe’s largest single consumer of tobacco, importing approximately 100 million kilogrammes annually, around one-third of the country’s crop.
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