Official statistics show that so far this year, 22.51 kilos of tobacco have been exported by Zimbabwe this year, equalling USD 111.81 million, reports The Herald.

The Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) reported that 13.59 million kilos of tobacco valued at USD 87.68 million headed to the Far East making it the biggest importer of Zimbabwean tobacco.
Zimbabwe is the largest tobacco producer in Africa but only 1.5 per cent of the crop is processed in the country with the remainder exported in its raw form making tobacco Zimbabwe’s second largest foreign currency earner after gold, reports The Herald.
The fact that most of the crop is exported has led to criticism from analysts who say that it negatively impacts the country’s socio-economic progress. Not only are jobs exported but potential revenue is lost out on by exporting the tobacco rather than processing it and adding value in Zimbabwe.
According to The Herald, Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector contributed over 20 per cent to the gross domestic product when it was at its most successful.