Online Reporter
Theseus Shambare
Herald Reporter
A HIGH-LEVEL delegation from Malawi has described Zimbabwe as Africa’s leader in tobacco production and marketing following a three-day learning exchange visit that ended on Thursday.
The officials, drawn from the Tobacco Commission and Auction Holdings Limited (AHL), were in Zimbabwe from Tuesday to study the country’s tobacco production systems, financing models and marketing structures.
Their programme concluded with a courtesy call on Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri.
Malawi’s Tobacco Commission’s director of Technical Services, Mr George Chinkhandwe, said Zimbabwe’s experience provided valuable insights for Malawi’s industry.
“You cannot talk tobacco without talking about Zimbabwe,” Mr Chinkhandwe said.
“We thought of coming to Zimbabwe because you are the pace setters in as far as tobacco is concerned in Africa.”
He noted that while Malawi currently has a single primary marketer — the auction system — the delegation was keen to adopt some of Zimbabwe’s approaches, including locally driven financing for merchants and improved export strategies.
“Maybe we have taken our eyes off the ball in Malawi. When we go back we are going to revisit some of the uniformities to align ourselves with what our friends are doing here in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Mr Chinkhandwe revealed that Malawi is set to exceed its production target ahead of schedule.
“We were targeting 200 million kilogrammes within the next couple of years, but this year alone we are projecting 207 million if all goes well,” he said.
AHL group CEO, Mr Alfred Nkhono, praised Zimbabwe’s marketing efficiency and infrastructure.
“Our visit was to appreciate, from the marketing side, how our colleagues are receiving the tobacco, warehousing, trading and peer-to-peer issues.
“We have had a very successful visit,” Nkhono said.
He added that Malawi’s production is heavily dependent on smallholder farmers.
“On a scale of 100, we are 95 percent smallholder and only five percent commercial. It is in our interest to ensure that the smallholder farmer is protected at all times,” he said.
Professor Jiri welcomed the delegation and said Zimbabwe is now focusing on boosting local funding and value addition in the tobacco value chain.
“Our challenge now is to ensure we have local funding to finance production. We must now focus on processing, value addition, and producing cigarettes in this country to unlock more value from our tobacco,” Prof Jiri said.
Zimbabwe recently achieved a record-breaking 350 million kilogrammes in tobacco output, reinforcing its status as one of the world’s top producers of the golden leaf.
Globally, Zimbabwe ranks sixth, behind China, India, Brazil, the United States and Indonesia.
However, it stands out for the high quality of its flue-cured Virginia leaf, which continues to dominate global auctions.
Exports reach over 60 countries, including China (the largest buyer), the European Union, the United Arab Emirates and regional partners.
Buyers worldwide regard Zimbabwe as a benchmark for production efficiency, traceability and consistency, making it a strategic source market on the international stage.
Online Reporter