Zimbabwe’s tobacco sector is poised for major growth, with the government projecting the industry could reach $7 billion by 2030. The Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2 (2026–2030) lays out an ambitious jump in the sector’s gross value contribution from $1.2 billion in 2025.

In 2025 Zimbabwe produced 340 million kg of tobacco, according to the Tobacco Industry & Marketing Board. The Tobacco Transformation Plan aims to boost that output to 500 million kg by 2030. A key part of the plan is to process far more tobacco domestically rather than exporting roughly 90% of it in raw form. The strategy also seeks to develop specialty varieties — including cigar, shisha, naturally cured, and dark fire-cured tobacco.

As Africa’s largest tobacco producer, Zimbabwe’s industry supports more than 130,000 households and accounts for over half of the country’s agricultural exports. More than 85% of the crop is grown by small-scale farmers, many of whom benefited from land reform.

Yet the sector faces significant challenges: global anti-smoking measures, tightening traceability and environmental rules, concerns over child labor, and outdated legislation. Agriculture Minister Dr. Anxious Masuka said the new strategy reflects broad consultation across government, industry and farming stakeholders, and is organized around ten pillars focused on policy reform, climate resilience, rural industrialization, financing, infrastructure and land management.

This article was adapted from an original report published on tobaccoreporter.com. All rights belong to the original publisher.