Zimbabwe could be on its way to regaining its status as one of the world's top tobacco producers in the 2020/2021 growing season, reports allafrica.com.
As of 25 November, some 28,292 hectares had been planted, compared to 27,181 hectares in the previous season. In 2019, production declined by 27 per cent to 183 million kilogrammes, compared to the record 252 million kilogrammes achieved in 2018.
The government is pursuing a new path through the National Development Strategy-1 (NDS-1) to get the maximum value from the cash crop through value-added products, the report said. Only 1.5 per cent of the locally produced tobacco is used for local processing, the rest is exported in raw form. Due to its good quality, it is used for blends in export markets.