Story by Tendai Munengwa
THE government has set a target for the country to produce 500 million kilogrammes of tobacco by 2028 to meet the global demand and fulfil the local value addition drive.
This was revealed at the Zimbabwe-China Tobacco Expo 2025, the first of its kind to be held in Zimbabwe, which has attracted a cross section of stakeholders from the tobacco sector to showcase their new innovations towards boosting the sustainable growth of the golden leaf industry.
“This is the first expo with our biggest consumer of our tobacco, which is China. We have managed to create a good market for our new records of 355 million kilogrammes. The President has given us a new target to achieve 500 million kgs by 2028 and with the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan now in motion, we must have 100 million kgs of our tobacco being value added. So, opportunities are vast and we hope that you click on a big business deal to improve Zim-China markets and trade systems,” the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka said.
The Zim-China Tobacco Expo organiser, Linda Lu Zhaofeng, described the forum as an eye-opener for Chinese companies to fill in the smart tobacco growing mechanisation and manufacturing of cigarettes gaps.
“There are a lot of opportunities presented at this expo, like irrigation equipment, innovations in processing and marketing- so we can safely say the expo will open possibilities for big deals between the two.”
Other delegates drawn from Zambia and local companies exhibited at the expo, setting the tone for new tobacco industry investments.
“We are happy to be in Zimbabwe, which is a big brother in tobacco production. Exposing us to the Chinese investors at this expo will open opportunities in improving our trade relations with China,” Zambia Tobacco Board’s Executive Director, Mr Robert Mwale said.
The tobacco forum is being held under the theme, ‘From Leaf to Legacy, Connecting Markets Creating Value.’
The Zimbabwe-China Tobacco Expo 2025 is set to position Zimbabwe as a preferred source of high-quality golden leaf.
