Story by Tendai Munengwa
THE 2026 tobacco marketing season officially opens this Wednesday, with farmers already delivering their first bales to the three main auction floors in Harare ahead of the inaugural sale.
At the Tobacco Sales Floor, venue of the official opening, activity was in full swing as growers offloaded their golden leaf in preparation for the ceremony to be presided over by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka.
“We are ready for the opening, we are receiving the tobacco and so far over 1000 bales will be laid for auctioning as the authorities come to officially open the floors,” Tobacco Sales Floor sales and marketing manager Mr Celani Sithole said.
Farmers travelling from various rural districts expressed optimism about obtaining competitive prices this season.
“We are happy we travelled well from Banket and we are now filling papers to book our tobacco for sale tomorrow,” said one farmer.
“We are offloading our tobacco all the way from Kazangarare on Zvimba, so we expect that our leaf will get a fair price,” another farmer noted.
The opening of the auction floors has also brought relief to seasonal workers who rely on the tobacco marketing season for employment.
“We are happy, this is our form of employment, we are back, and we are hard as we have a big workload for the next two months,” said a worker at the sales floor.
“Every year I am assured of a job here, so tobacco is also creating employment for us in Harare,” another worker added.
The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board has licensed more than 40 Class A buyers, all of whom have confirmed their readiness to purchase tobacco during the 2026 marketing season.
