LIVINGSTONE MARUFU
The European Union (EU) has given Zimbabwe two years to grow tobacco sustainably or a ban would be imposed on the golden leaf in what could be a blow on the country’s foreign currency generation thrust.
The golden leaf is Zimbabwe’s fourth largest foreign currency earner after gold, platinum and diaspora remittances and had a haul of about US$1bn last year.
EU buys tobacco worth US$150m yearly from Zimbabwe and is a strategic partner for the country as Harare accesses 27 markets within the economic union.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development deputy minister Davison Marapira told Business Times that Zimbabwe has to expand research, development, technology and innovations for accelerating sustainable and environmentally benign agricultural production practices to fend off tobacco ban threats.
“I am aware of plans afoot in the EU to ban, in the next two years, the buying of tobacco from countries that are producing tobacco unsustainably. Thus, we will avert the risk of losing international markets and inadvertently improve grower returns,” Marapira said.
The latest threats follow the recent threats from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to forbid the cultivation of the golden leaf.
But analysts say EU threats are more lethal as they have a specified time frame.
In 2011, government’s agriculture research unit, Kutsaga, developed and successfully tested more efficient tobacco curing barns that reduce firewood use by 50% and, reduce the curing cycle to 5–6 days from 7–8 days, without compromising on tobacco quality.
This technology has to be adopted by small-scale farmers to reduce deforestation, Marapira said.
He said the production and distribution of eucalyptus seedlings for re-afforestation efforts to alleviate pressures on indigenous forests commenced at Kutsaga in 2013.
Economist Gift Mugano said “Through eucalyptus seedling supply to the Sustainable Afforestation Association and free distribution to individual growers, Kutsaga has successfully distributed some 20m gum seedlings to tobacco growers in the period 2013 to 2022.
“Together with the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board and other members of the trade, wider afforestation programmes are underway under the Ministry’s Blitz Afforestation Programme,” Marapira said, adding, “these initiatives combined with the use of more efficient barns will enable a sustainable approach to curing tobacco”.
Marapira said the institution is already running with this broad mandate and has since commenced research on alternates and alternative crops to tobacco.
He said this strategy would enable tobacco growers to start intruding into other enterprises alternate to tobacco growing to counter the WHO-Framework of Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) efforts.
Kutsaga chief executive officer Frank Magama said the research institution takes the threats seriously and has many alternatives in place in case the anti-tobacco bodies succeed in banning the golden leaf.
“Anti-tobacco sentiment has grown since the establishment of TRB compelling a strategic focus on research into alternative uses of tobacco and alternatives tobacco. “WHO FCTC presents an existential threat to the tobacco industry compelling a greater focus on research into alternative uses of tobacco and alternative plants to tobacco such as cannabis and hemp,” Magama said.
“Concerns over climate change and the resultant shortening seasons and frequent droughts have taken centre stage. Accordingly, TRB has dedicated itself to promoting the sustainable production of tobacco.”
Kutsaga developed a batch of four climate-smart varieties and was released in March this year.
Currently, Kutsaga is developing varieties with 6,000 to 8,000 kilogrammes per ha yield potential but maintaining the quality of already existing genetics.
Zimbabwe has recorded the highest tobacco production in its history as sales for the ongoing 2023 marketing season currently stands at 283m kg, surpassing the previous record of 259m kg attained in the 2019 season and moving swiftly to the 300m kg set for 2025.
