As Zimbabwe’s new tobacco marketing season begins, the fields are alive with anticipation. Farmers across the country are expanding their acreage, pinning their hopes on favourable weather, competitive prices, and the ever-shifting dynamics of global demand. The season, which commenced on 5 March, is expected to run well into the third quarter of the year, marking another chapter in Zimbabwe’s long-standing reliance on its ‘golden leaf.’

Tendai Chimhondoro, a 45-year-old small-scale farmer from Shamva in Mashonaland Central Province, is no stranger to the unpredictability of farming. “I am expecting the leaf to fetch a higher price at the auction because the quality of my leaf this year is high compared to last year’s,” she says. For Chimhondoro, as for many others, tobacco is not merely a crop—it is an economic pillar, often more reliable than food staples like maize in ensuring her family’s financial stability.

Tobacco’s enduring moniker as Zimbabwe’s ‘golden leaf’ is not just a reference to its colour but a reflection of its economic significance. The crop is one of the country’s leading foreign currency earners, exported to key markets such as China, the United Arab Emirates, and South Africa.

Figures from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) show that the country’s total tobacco cultivation area has expanded to 125,000 hectares this season, up from 113,000 hectares last year. Optimism is further fuelled by favourable rainfall, which has positioned Zimbabwe’s tobacco farmers for an anticipated output surge from 240 million kilograms in 2024 to 280 million kilograms this season.

For farmers like Rangarirai Chisvo, the economic appeal of tobacco is clear. Compared to staple crops, tobacco offers higher returns per hectare, even amid climate change concerns. However, many small-scale farmers still grapple with barriers such as limited access to funding and outdated farming equipment, limiting their yield potential.

The resilience of Zimbabwe’s tobacco sector is not lost on farmers like Lloyd Titi from Shamva, who sees the crop’s drought tolerance as an advantage in increasingly erratic weather patterns. “This season, the rains have been on our side,” he remarks. “That means not just a higher yield, but better-quality leaves, which fetch stronger prices.”

George Seremwe, president of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association, shares this cautious optimism. While he acknowledges that this year’s conditions have been favourable, he notes that the volatility of the international market remains a key concern.

Though most farmers now sell through contractual arrangements, Zimbabwe’s auction floors continue to play a critical role, providing an alternative avenue for independent farmers. These auctions, long a cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s tobacco trade, remain a space where pricing tensions, market forces, and the hopes of smallholder farmers intersect.

As another season unfolds, Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry remains a paradox—an economic mainstay fraught with challenges, yet one that continues to sustain thousands. Whether this year’s ‘golden leaf’ will yield golden returns remains to be seen, but for farmers across the country, the stakes have never been higher.