Zimbabwe partners on coal facilities to help tobacco farmers cut production costs

According to a September 18 report by NewsDay, tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe have welcomed a partnership among the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), Kutsaga, and Hwange Colliery Company Limited to develop a coal project aimed at reducing production costs and addressing deforestation.

TIMB spokesperson Chelesani Tsarwe told NewsDay Farming: “One of the main challenges troubling Zimbabwe’s tobacco farmers is the high cost of tobacco production. From production inputs to curing energy, these high costs affect every stage. This cost structure has had a negative impact on the viability of Zimbabwe’s tobacco farming sector.”

With the completion of the new facilities, tobacco farmers are expected to achieve significant cost savings during the curing process.

Zimbabwe recorded a bumper tobacco harvest of 296 million kilograms in the 2022/2023 season. Tobacco production makes a significant contribution to GDP and is a major export sector within agriculture. However, tobacco production has also contributed heavily to deforestation, carbon emissions, and water pollution. TIMB has already launched a range of initiatives to mitigate the negative environmental impact of tobacco production.