WHEN Richard Chimbada loaded his tobacco bales for the auction floors this season, he carried with him the hopes of a better year.
The rains had been kind to farmers in Guruve. His crop had grown well. The leaves were clean, rich in colour and, by his assessment, among the best he had produced in years.
But when the sales were done, the excitement quickly faded.
Instead of returning home with enough money to improve his life and prepare for the next farming season, Chimbada says most of his earnings disappeared into debt repayments.
“This year we had a good season and we had good quality tobacco but I didn’t make money because all the money went to pay debts and most of my bales went there to cover that, leaving me with nothing,” he told Standardbusiness after delivering his bales at Curverid Tobacco in Harare.
“Prices were very low and this affected us as farmers. I worked hard with hope to get something and the highest sale was around US$2 and most of my bales sold below that. It’s something hard for me and it will affect my next season.”
Across Zimbabwe’s tobacco-growing regions, from Guruve to Mt Darwin, similar stories are emerging from farmers who harvested larger crops this year, only to discover that increased production has not translated into increased income.
For many growers, the 2026 tobacco marketing season has become a painful reminder of how vulnerable small-scale farmers remain to global market forces they cannot control.
Tobacco remains one of Zimbabwe’s most important cash crops, contributing between 10% and 15% of the country’s agricultural gross domestic product. The sector supports thousands of rural households and sustains entire communities through seasonal employment and transport businesses.
This year, Zimbabwe is on course to produce a record 400 million kilogrammes of tobacco, surpassing the 355 million kilogrammes produced in 2025. The increase has largely been driven by a 15% rise in hectarage to more than 164 000 hectares.
Yet beneath the record harvest lies growing anxiety.
Latest figures from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) show that by May 27, tobacco deliveries had surged by 18% to 280.84 million kilogrammes compared to the same period last year.
However, earnings have declined sharply.
Farmers had earned US$708.5 million by the same date, an 11% drop from last year, while average prices fell by 25% to about US$2.52 per kilogramme.
In simple terms, farmers are selling more tobacco but earning less money for every kilogramme delivered to the market.
The impact is already being felt in rural households where tobacco income often pays school fees, medical bills and farming costs for the next season.
Zimbabwe’s tobacco sector now supports 135 284 households, a 37% increase over recent years, according to official data.
For many families, falling prices have turned what was expected to be a prosperous season into one of uncertainty.
In Mt Darwin, tobacco farmer Bornface Mupezi is still waiting to take his crop to the auction floors. But like many growers, he is already worried by reports filtering through from those who sold earlier.
“I am waiting to get in and sell my tobacco. My hope is that it can sell for around US$4 so that we can support our families," he said.
"However, we heard many complaining about the low prices and we are concerned about that."
The slump in prices has exposed deeper structural weaknesses within Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry.
Following strong returns in recent years, many growers expanded production aggressively in anticipation of continued demand. But global supply has also risen sharply, with major tobacco-producing countries such as Brazil and India increasing output.
At the same time, demand from key international buyers has softened.
China, Zimbabwe’s biggest tobacco buyer, is reported to have reduced its purchases by more than 10 million kilogrammes this year, sending shockwaves through the market.
Agricultural experts say the situation highlights the urgent need for reliable market intelligence to guide farmers before planting decisions are made.
Without clear information on global demand trends, growers risk producing volumes that the market cannot absorb profitably.
Consultant for the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association, Casper Mlambo, said many farmers were struggling to cope with the low prices being offered on the market.
“Some are finding it hard to go back home. With this situation some won’t be able to go back to the land next season. It’s a serious concern,” he said.
Mlambo said while quality remained a challenge in some cases, farmers had made notable improvements through support from agronomists and contractors.
“Quality is always an issue. Growers have at most tried to match contractors’ quality through advice from their agronomists. This is an ongoing thing. I have seen remarkable movement in this,” he said.
He urged growers to align production with market expectations by reducing hectarage where necessary and following market intelligence more closely.
Concerns over quality have also surfaced this season.
Rejection rates have reportedly increased by 52% to 4.28% year-on-year, with even higher rejection levels recorded on auction floors.
But TIMB chief executive officer Emmanuel Matsvaire said the high rejection rates should not be blamed solely on poor tobacco quality.
Rather, he said, most rejections were linked to poor handling practices by growers, including mixed hands, oversized bales and underweight or overweight packaging.
“The Board is working with research institutions, contractors and extension partners to strengthen farmer knowledge on good agronomic practices, harvesting, grading and curing techniques to improve tobacco quality,” Matsvaire said.
“Awareness campaigns are being conducted to encourage proper presentation of tobacco to minimise rejections and improve grower returns.”
Matsvaire said tobacco production targets were informed by global market trends, demand forecasts and consultations across the industry.
“TIMB continuously engages growers through awareness programmes, field days and advisory platforms on the importance of sustainable production, quality improvement and market realities,” he said.
He added that the board was actively pursuing market diversification through engagement with emerging markets in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
“TIMB is also working closely with government, merchants and exporters to promote Zimbabwean tobacco at international trade platforms and strengthen value addition and beneficiation initiatives to reduce overreliance on a few export destinations,” he said.
The challenges confronting tobacco farmers mirror wider concerns raised internationally about the vulnerability of smallholder growers.
According to the World Health Organisation, many tobacco farmers in developing countries remain trapped in chronic debt due to high production costs, expensive inputs and limited access to crop insurance.
As a result, many continue growing tobacco simply to repay old debts, creating a difficult cycle that becomes harder to escape with every poor season.
For now, many Zimbabwean farmers are left hoping the market improves before the next selling season begins.
But in tobacco-growing communities, where fortunes can rise and fall with the price of a single bale, this year’s record harvest has brought little comfort.
For thousands of growers, the golden leaf is no longer shining as brightly as it once did.