Zimbabwe sets new 300m kg tobacco output

Zimbabwe
has
set
a
new
tobacco
production
record
after
more
than
300
million
kilo
of
leaf
tobacco
worth
over
$1
billon
have
been
sold
since
the
marketing
season
opened
in
March,
the
country’s
industry
regulatory
body
announced
on
Wednesday.

The
Tobacco
Industry
and
Marketing
Board
(TIMB)
confirmed
that
Zimbabwe
has
officially
surpassed
its
all-time
national
tobacco
production
record
of
296
million
kilogrammes
achieved
in
2023,
after
this
year’s
seasonal
cumulative
sales
reached
over
300
million
kg
on
Wednesday.

“This
year’s
marketing
season
has
been
historic.
As
of
June
18,
Zimbabwe
has
sold
over
300
million
kg
of
tobacco,
a
new
and
all-time
record,”
Chelesani
Tsarwe,
a
TIMB
public
affairs
officer,
told
Xinhua
in
an
interview,
adding
that
the
one-billion-dollar
revenue
for
farmers
is
another
milestone
worth
celebrating.

She
noted
that
while
the
production
milestone
reflects
resilience
and
hard
work
across
the
value
chain,
the
ideal
future
is
not
just
about
record
volumes,
but
also
about
increased
local
processing,
enhanced
farmer
earnings,
diversified
markets,
and
environmentally
sustainable
practices
in
the
tobacco
sector.

“We
must
shift
from
volume-driven
horizontal
growth
to
value-driven
growth,”
she
said.

In
2021,
Zimbabwe
launched
a
tobacco
value
chain
transformation
plan,
aiming
to
increase
leaf
tobacco
production
to
300
million
kilos
annually
and
transform
the
industry
into
a
$5
billion
industry
by
2025.

As
a
pillar
of
Zimbabwe’s
economy,
tobacco
is
primarily
exported
to
China
and
South
Africa,
among
other
countries,
significantly
contributing
to
export
earnings
and
rural
livelihoods.