Zimbabwe’s 2026 tobacco marketing season is delivering mixed fortunes: record-breaking sales in the early months of trading are undercut by declining prices — and farmers are worried about profits.
The first auction bales sold for $4.60/kg, with some lower-grade tobacco fetching as little as $0.50-$0.60/kg.
Chamunorwa Ben Gurira, a farmer from Hurungwe, northwest of Harare, could not sell all his tobacco. He sold just three of his 14 bales to his contractor, who supplies him with seed, fertiliser, chemicals and technical support. That sale covered his costs to the contractor, who allowed him to sell the rest at an auction floor of his choice.
When Gurira spoke to the FM, he had been struggling for four days to find an auction floor that would take the rest of his harvest.
“I come from a rural area with very little money, and I need food and other necessities. This season has been difficult,” he says.
Zimbabwe Tobacco Association president Rodney Ambrose says the country is having the weakest marketing season in at least the past 10 years. “We are witnessing overproduction vs reduced demand and increased manufacturer inventories,” he said.
He says production levels need to be aligned with market demand. “If not corrected, farmers will be reduced to poverty levels. Wrong messages are being sent to increase production in a market that is already oversupplied.”
Many small-scale farmers have been raising concerns over low earnings and rising input costs. Questions have also emerged around what reforms are needed to stabilise the sector.
Chelesani Moyo Tsarwe, spokesperson of the Tobacco Industry & Marketing Board, says the regulator is aware of the price pressures affecting growers. She says this is being driven by global market dynamics, noting that oversupply is also being experienced in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia.
“We continue to monitor marketing activities across all selling points to promote fair trading practices, penalise those found engaging in side marketing and ensure compliance by all market participants,” she says.
We must match production levels to demand. If not corrected, farmers will be reduced to poverty levels
— Rodney Ambrose, Zimbabwe Tobacco Association
Zimbabwe’s tobacco is largely produced for export, earning the country vital foreign currency. For the government, rising production appears positive on the export earnings ledger, but for growers in Wedza, Karoi and other tobacco-producing districts, the reality is less encouraging.
Across Mashonaland West and Mashonaland Central, tobacco has become a pillar of rural livelihoods over the past decade. Farmers have increasingly shifted land and labour towards the crop, supported by contract farming schemes and the promise of hard currency earnings.
On a typical plot at Hurungwe, a farming household may rotate wheat, groundnuts and tobacco across just a few hectares. Tobacco provides cash for school fees, medical expenses and agricultural inputs, while food crops sustain the family through the year. But when tobacco prices fall sharply — by nearly a quarter this season, according to the cabinet — households are left struggling to fill the gap.
Meanwhile, in Matabeleland, an innovation is transforming Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry through improved quality, sustainability and farmer livelihoods. The Marula Barn, a solar-powered air-curing system developed in Marula, which lies between Bulawayo and Plumtree, is redefining the production of natural cured Virginia and Burley tobaccos by replacing conventional firewood-based flue curing with a climate-smart alternative.
Unlike traditional methods that rely on wood or coal, the Marula Barn uses solar heat trapped through UV-protected polyplastic to cure tobacco in a controlled environment. This significantly reduces deforestation, lowers curing costs and makes production more environmentally sustainable. Its structure includes adjustable vents that regulate airflow and temperature, while untreated gum poles prevent chemical contamination that can affect leaf quality.
The system has evolved from early multi-tier designs to more efficient single- and double-tier configurations, ensuring uniform curing and reducing inconsistencies. Farmers report major improvements in leaf colour, texture and grade, with curing time reduced from 21 days to between eight and 12 days. Internal temperatures can reach up to 75°C, achieved entirely through solar energy.
Whatever the travails of the Zimbabwean tobacco farmer, the industry will always have a ready customer in China, where demand is increasing. The latest Chinese figures show that cigarette output reached 2.39-trillion in 2025. The China National Health Commission says the country has 310-million smokers, accounting for 25% of the global total.
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