Story by Tendai Munengwa
THE launch of the Tobacco Value Chain Recovery Plan is bearing fruit after achieving 70 % of its target, with a view to ensuring the production of the golden leaf is locally funded.
The country is making significant strides in promoting local funding of tobacco production, with the latest reports presented during a Tobacco Value Chain Review Workshop in Harare this Wednesday showing that the bulk of tobacco is now locally funded.
“We are pleased to announce that we have reached 67% of our 70% target for local funding. This indicates that the bulk of tobacco contractors, who previously relied on foreign loans, are now securing funds locally. This shift ensures that foreign currency previously used to repay external loans will now remain in the country,” said Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), Mr Emmanuel Matsvaire.
The tobacco value chain starts with the seed and researchers are moving to come up with climate-smart varieties which will propel production towards vision 2030.
“We are happy to announce that our breeders have responded swiftly towards issues to do with climate-smart varieties, they have come up with varieties which we believe are drought tolerant, and that produce good yield come rain or drought, so we have seen most now enjoying the returns which we think can propel them to an upper middle-income society by 2030,” tobacco scientist, Dr Frank Magama said.
The government is confident implementation of the Tobacco Value Chain Recovery Plan will be a game changer towards the country’s quest to achieve a US$5 billion tobacco industry by 2030.
“You find out that there is a significant gain in all the four pillars of Tobacco Policy. We have achieved 100 % on local funding for the production of tobacco,” the Chief Director for Business Development and Markets in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Mr Clemence Bwenje said.
Tobacco farming is a significant economic driver in Zimbabwe, both for the national economy and the livelihoods of many farmers, supporting over 160 thousand households countrywide.
