By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- Irrigated tobacco area increased to 24,000 hectares, helping raise total planted area to 113,536 hectares.
- Registered growers fell to 101,443, down from 125,661 last season.
- Contract farming still dominates, accounting for 75.6% of planted area.
Zimbabwe has sharply expanded irrigated tobacco plantings in the 2025/26 season, lifting total planted area even as the number of registered growers fell, according to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB).
TIMB data show that the area under irrigated tobacco rose to 24,000 hectares, up from 19,700 hectares last season.
The increase in irrigation pushed total planted area to 113,536 hectares, a 21.7% rise from 93,281 hectares last year, TIMB said. The growth came despite a 19.3% decline in registered tobacco farmers, which fell from 125,661 to 101,443 in the prior cycle.
TIMB data show that contract farming remains dominant, accounting for 85,855 hectares, or 75.6% of the planted area. The remaining 24.4% is financed through bank loans and self-funding.
The Herald reported that 15% of growers are self-financed or backed by bank loans — a shift that could sustain participation in Zimbabwe’s dual marketing system, which includes both contract and auction channels.
According to the TIMB figures cited in local reporting, Regionally, Mashonaland Central continued to lead the country in grower numbers, followed by Mashonaland West, Manicaland, and Mashonaland East.
Zimbabwe’s tobacco sector remains heavily driven by smallholder production following the country’s land reform program. Local reporting cited TIMB data showing that communal farmers represent the largest share of growers, followed by A1 resettled farmers, small-scale commercial growers, and A2 farmers.
Tobacco is Zimbabwe’s largest agricultural export and the country’s second-largest foreign currency earner after gold, with production spread among more than 100,000 growers.
