Zimbabwe nears historic 300m kg tobacco output

The country is moving towards achieving its ambitious tobacco goal ever, with 253,122,136 kilograms sold by Day 60 of the 2025 marketing season an astonishing 84.37% of the historic 300 million kg goal.

With just 46 million kilograms to go, the countdown to Zimbabwe’s largest-ever tobacco season has officially begun.

The momentum follows a record-breaking milestone on 28 May, when cumulative sales hit 237.3 million kg, surpassing the 232 million kg produced in the entire 2024 season and the season still has over two months left, set to end around 10 September.

Tobacco continues to be Zimbabwe’s top agricultural export, and its growth is a cornerstone of the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan (TVCTP) a blueprint designed to boost farmer incomes, enhance value addition, and increase foreign currency inflows.

As of 23 May 2025, Zimbabwe had exported 56.76 million kg of tobacco, raking in US$350.67 million in earnings.

This comes on top of the US$778.38 million already earned by local growers from total tobacco sales, showcasing not only strong international demand for Zimbabwean tobacco but also the premium price commanded due to its unique flavor and high quality.

It is widely believed in the global tobacco trade that “there’s a bit of Zimbabwean tobacco in every cigarette in the world,” a testament to the country’s reputation as a leading producer.

With production volumes and export earnings surging, the 2025 tobacco season could cement Zimbabwe’s return as a global powerhouse in leaf tobacco, bringing with it massive gains for farmers, the national economy, and the rural communities that depend on the golden leaf.

State media