Sustainability issues influence tobacco production

Mr Patrick Devenish

Agriculture Specialist Writer

THE old maxim “adapt or perish” comes to the fore, as tobacco farmers are now expected to produce their crop using methods deemed sustainable internationally, lest the crop fails to find a market.

This comes as the country has set its sights on achieving a US$5 billion tobacco industry next year.

Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) chairman Mr Patrick Devenish revealed this at the just-ended two-day World Tobacco Africa Exposition (Expo) in Harare. The expo was running under the theme “From seed to success – A new era for African Leaf Tobacco.”

“The tobacco industry is undergoing significant transformations, driven by changing consumer preferences, evolving regulatory frameworks and increasing demands for sustainable practices. It is imperative that we adapt and evolve to meet these challenges,” the TIMB chair said. The tobacco industry has a significant environmental footprint, from land use for cultivation to the carbon emissions resulting from processing and transportation.

Mr Devenish said it was crucial that the country addressed these challenges by promoting sustainable farming practices, reducing water usage, implementing energy efficient technologies and exploring alternatives to traditional curing methods. The country’s tobacco industry has developed gas curing technology, whose trials were successfully run on liquefied petroleum gas at Kutsaga Research Station. Biogas trials will be conducted in the forthcoming season, among other innovations aimed at addressing deforestation and reducing the country’s carbon footprint.

Changing consumer tastes and preferences have seen a new generation of tobacco products like e-cigarettes, vaping, nicotine pouches and shisha gaining popularity globally and the country needs to research, innovate and invest in production of these sought after goods.

The trade statistics released by Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats) show that there was a 30 percent surge in tobacco product export earnings from US$998 057 601 in 2022 to US$1 297 280 021 in 2023.