Tobacco Prices Fall 45% as 2026 Marketing Season Begins

By Tinomudaishe Muzanenhamo

Tobacco prices in Zimbabwe have dropped sharply at the start of the 2026 marketing season, raising concern among farmers and industry officials.

The operations manager of Premier Tobacco Auction Floors, Samuel Garaba said prices recorded during the opening days of sales were about 45% lower than those seen last year.

Speaking at a media briefing in Harare, Garaba said many farmers had arrived at the auction floors hoping for strong returns, but were instead faced with disappointing prices.

“I think the morale has gone down on our farmers because the prices are not welcoming at all when we compare to the last season,” he said.

Garaba added that the situation could improve if more buyers participated in the auctions as increased competition typically pushes prices higher.

“If we have more buyers coming on board, it may stimulate competition and possibly improve the prices for growers,” he said.

Farmers at the auction floors also voiced frustration after prices began falling soon after the season opened with some saying the sudden drop was unfair and left them struggling to recover their production costs.

Although the opening bale fetched about US$4.60 per kilogram slightly higher than the starting price recorded last year, the early optimism quickly faded as prices declined during subsequent sales.

Zimbabwe is one of Africa’s largest tobacco producers and the crop remains a major source of export earnings.

The government has said it aims to transform the tobacco industry into a US$5 billion sector by the 2025/2026 season with a long-term goal of producing 500 million kilogrammes of tobacco annually by 2030.