Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
TOBACCO farming in Zimbabwe is at a critical crossroads – one that calls not only for hard work but for the farmers to embrace smart and energydriven innovations to boost the crop’s production.
Purleigh Investments Solar Company managing director Ms Susan Mawonawani said this at the just ended second edition of the 2025 tobacco conference in Harare on Friday.
The event was organised by Zimpapers in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, and the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board under the theme, “Transforming Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry through Beneficiation and Value Addition –
Unlocking a $5 Billion Industry!”.
The golden leaf remains one of the country’s top foreign currency earners with the growers collectively raking US$1,16 billion this year while sales have surpassed 340,2 million kg, reflecting a 51 percent spike from the 225 million kg sold in 2025.
In this context, Ms Mawonawani urged the farmers to embrace sustainable energy solutions such as solar power to continue bolstering productivity, improve quality, and secure the long-term future of the tobacco industry.
“Crops, all living organisms grow on the back of energy and so it is with tobacco, one of the most energy consumptive plants.
“This beautiful crop has to be brought in and treated with decorum and dignity in the barns, so
that we turn the green of the leaf into gold of the ZiG.
“This calls for consistent uninterrupted energy to maintain the ideal conditions to transform this green leaf into the golden commodity, it must be to derive maximum value out of it.
“Zimbabwe has had her own share of energy challenges, no point in detailing the whys and wherefores of that, it can only lead to finger pointing but which does not deliver to the energy required by the farmer for the successful growing of the golden leaf,” she said.
“So, it is incumbent upon the farmer to address their own immediate power challenges with smart interventions.
“We must thank God that we are blessed with more than sufficient sunlight across the length and breadth of Zimbabwe.”
Tobacco growing is therefore the story of energy, reliable energy from its naissance to the finishing line.
” Currently, Zimbabwe continues to face electricity shortages and erratic fuel supplies, making it difficult for farmers to depend on the national grid or traditional generators alone.
Ms Mawonawani whose organisation is at the forefront of promoting the transition to solar energy solutions locally, said, solar energy – not only points to sustainable and environmentally friendly
option, but also as a cost effective and reliable alternative for powering the full tobacco farming cycle.
She said her organisation’s vision is to revolutionalise the energy sector and establish solar power as
the leading source of energy nationwide, contributing to a sustainable, carbon-neutral future.
“This is what smart solutions can bring. The capacity and capability is there in Zimbabwe to harness the suns energy to drive our agricultural, industrial, mining, health and educational sector plus.
“We have been down this road starting off delivering solutions for domestic use, we eventually graduated into commercial and industrial solutions where systems have been put up that goes beyond 2MW.
“We are working on a 5MW integrated solution that runs industry and agriculture.
“We provide full automous solar systems that integrate the three sources of energy (solar, electricity and generator) to the farmers. This guarantees uninterrupted energy supply with fail safe capability,” said Mawonawani.
Meanwhile, the Government has also thrown its weight behind the green energy transition reiterating the importance of moving toward sustainable practices, particularly in energy-intensive sectors like agriculture. With global tobacco buyers increasingly demanding low-carbon and environmentally conscious production, adopting renewable energy solutions is becoming more than just a local necessity – but a strategic imperative.
