Registered
farmers
declined
19.3%
to
101,443,
yet
planted
area
increased
21.7%
to
113,536
hectares,
suggesting
rising
productivity
and
capital
intensity.
One
such
example
of
progress,
according
to
the
TIMB,
is
the
irrigated
planted
area
increasing
to
24,000
hectares
this
season,
up
from
19,700
hectares
last
season.
Contract
farming
continues
to
dominate,
accounting
for
about
75.6%
of
planted
area,
though
industry
observers
note
that
the
15%
share
of
self-
or
bank-financed
growers
offers
renewed
support
for
Zimbabwe’s
traditional
auction
system.
Output
is
projected
to
climb
to
400
million
kg
this
year
from
354
million
kg
last
season,
reinforcing
tobacco’s
position
as
Zimbabwe’s
largest
agricultural
export
and
second-biggest
foreign
currency
earner
after
gold.
Export
earnings
reached
$1.4
billion
by
mid-December
2025,
down
slightly
year
on
year,
as
weaker
demand
from
traditional
Asian
markets—particularly
China—was
offset
by
strong
growth
in
Europe
and
steady
gains
within
Africa.
The
European
Union
stood
out,
with
export
earnings
surging
64.5%
to
$169.6
million,
reflecting
rising
demand
for
Zimbabwe’s
flue-cured
Virginia
leaf,
while
the
Far
East
remains
the
largest
market,
accounting
for
60%
of
total
export
value
despite
a
14%
decline.
Source:
Zimbabwe’s
Increased
Efficiency
Base
for
Market
Growth
–
Tobacco
Reporter