Tobacco export earnings hit US$1.25bn
LIVINGSTONE MARUFU
Zimbabwe’s tobacco export earnings have surged past the US$1.25 billion mark by the end of November 2025, buoyed by firming global prices and rising international demand.
Despite this strong performance, the figure remains slightly below last year’s US$1.29 billion. Still, it marks the third consecutive year in which the country’s tobacco exports have exceeded the US$1 billion threshold, a sign of continued resilience in the sector.
Favourable rainfall locally, coupled with droughts in other major producing regions, resulted in a global shortage of tobacco, thereby heightening demand and pushing prices higher.
Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) Public Affairs Officer Chelesani Tsarwe said the jump in earnings reflects the enduring global appetite for Zimbabwe’s high-quality flue-cured tobacco.
“As of November 28, a total of 218,340,120 kilogrammes of tobacco valued at US$1,257,103,349 had been exported, compared to 225,306,136 kilogrammes worth US$1,291,497,721 during the same period last year,” Tsarwe reported.
The bulk of Zimbabwe’s tobacco exports continue to flow to Far Eastern destinations—chiefly China and South Korea—followed by the European Union and Africa. Overall, Zimbabwe shipped its tobacco to more than 52 markets worldwide.
Predictions of normal to above-normal rainfall for the 2025/26 cropping season have strengthened optimism among both policymakers and farmers.
The growth momentum is expected to continue under the Government’s Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan, which seeks to raise annual production to 500 million kilogrammes by 2030 through enhanced productivity and factor production principles. For the 2025/26 season alone, Zimbabwe projects output of around 360 million kilogrammes.
A central component of the Transformation Plan is the push for value addition and beneficiation, with a target to process at least 100 million kilogrammes of tobacco locally by 2030—a shift aimed at driving industrialisation and boosting export revenue.
The policy thrust also emphasises reducing the export of raw leaf tobacco, localising financing for at least 50% of the crop, and strengthening traceability and sustainability systems across the value chain.
The Lands Ministry said policy, legislative and institutional reforms, along with market development programmes, are underway to ensure long-term viability of the sector. Authorities also underscored the importance of derisking tobacco production through the cultivation of alternate—not alternative—crops.
Small-scale farmers remain the backbone of the industry, accounting for 85% of all producers. Many have benefited from contract farming arrangements, which now support over 80% of national tobacco output.
