Zimbabwe’s tobacco marketing season started on Wednesday and sales are expected to rise by 8.5 percent to 230 million kilograms in 2023.
The growth has been attributed to the good rains the country received including more farmers planting the crop, the industry regulator, Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB), said on Wednesday.
“It looks like we are going to have a good crop. We are expecting 230 million kg,” TIMB chairperson Patrick Devenish said at the opening ceremony of the 2023 marketing season in Harare.
Tobacco is one of the biggest export earners in Zimbabwe, which aims to increase production to 300 million kg by 2025. Its output peaked at 261 million kg in 2019.
According to Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who was guest-of-honour at the opening ceremony, the sector contributes nearly US$1 billion to export earnings every year, accounting for more than 12 percent% of exports in January.
Tobacco land use grew to 117 000 hectares this year from 110 000 hectares in 2022, according to the TIMB. The industry also saw an increase in the number of tobacco farmers to 148 527 this year from 123 000 in 2022.
This comes as Mvurwi Town in Mashonaland Central, which serves one of the leading tobacco growing areas, is eyeing investors who are keen to add value to the crop.
This season, farmers around the town are anticipating a bumper harvest on the back of good rains during the 2022/2023 agriculture season.
The town which houses tobacco auction floors has embarked on a massive expansion drive, with new layout plans opening more land for thousands of stands, which will benefit civil servants and low income earners.
Mvurwi Town clerk Shelly Nyakudya said they were eyeing investors who can add value to tobacco and other crops as the town expands its industrial area.
Following the decentralisation of auctions floors, Mvurwi now has seven auction floors, including one of the biggest, Tobacco Sales Floor (TSF).
“Mvurwi is a farming town and tobacco, maize and soya beans are the main crops. We are expecting a bumper harvest following a good 2022/2023 agriculture season,” she said.
