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Category: Agriculture & Sustainability

  • Black Farmers Association Condemns Bill to Repeal Duty Drawback

    Black Farmers Association Condemns Bill to Repeal Duty Drawback

    Representing 130,000 members, the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) is calling on the U.S. Senate to protect all farmers, especially those who grow American tobacco, by removing the provision to repeal the duty drawback incentive for U.S. tobacco manufacturers from the budget reconciliation bill.

    “Logic suggests that ‘making America great again’ is achieved on the backs of American farmers,” said John Boyd, Jr., founder and president of the NBFA and a fourth-generation black farmer. “Growers in North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, and across our nation will be jeopardized if the duty drawback incentive does not remain in place.

    “To some, the incentive may seem minor. However, to my members and growers across America, protecting the duty drawback is of great significance. On behalf of the National Black Farmers Association, I humbly plead that legislators do not jeopardize the current American agricultural economy nor the future generations of American farmers.”

    The current House version of the legislation removes the Duty Drawback provision specifically for tobacco companies while preserving it for all other industries. Eliminating this incentive for American tobacco manufacturers would impact the farming of American tobacco crops.

    “Duty drawbacks are not loopholes—they are essential safeguards,” the NBFA wrote. “Removing them would reverse over 200 years of trade policy designed to support American exports and bolster domestic manufacturing. Drawbacks stimulate domestic manufacturing in the states and ensure that U.S. leaf tobacco remains competitive in the international marketplace. If legislators remove the drawback incentive, this would lead to a decrease in US-grown tobacco crops.”

  • Zimbabwe Tobacco Production up 21% 

    Zimbabwe Tobacco Production up 21% 

    According to Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), 220.6 million kg of flue-cured tobacco has been sold for $678.3 million since the marketing season opened March 5, marking a 21% increase from the same period last year.

    The TIMB said 190.3 million kg, worth $641.5 million, had been sold by contract growers, while 10.3 million kg, valued at $36.7 million, was sold through auction floors. The highest price recorded at auction was $4.99 per kg, while contract sales peaked at $6.30 per kg.

    Chelesani Tsarwe, the public affairs officer for TIMB, the decentralization of tobacco production beyond traditional growing provinces would have a substantial impact on the nation’s output.

    “The first sale of Naturally Cured Virginia (NCV) tobacco will take place [May 22] at the Atlas Agri contract floor in Marula, Matabeleland South, and the volumes recorded in Matabeleland are expected to contribute to the national total,” she said. “Efforts are ongoing to enhance transparency and efficiency across the tobacco value chain. TIMB remains committed to ensuring the industry remains viable, inclusive, and globally competitive.”

  • Zimbabwe Posts Single-Day Tobacco Sales Record

    Zimbabwe Posts Single-Day Tobacco Sales Record

    Last Friday (May 9), Zimbabwe set a single-day sales record with 7.2 million kg coming off the auction floor, according to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB). That day also saw a season-high price of $6.20 per kg, significantly better than last year’s best of $5.76.

     “This unprecedented volume reflects the significant progress made by farmers, most of whom have now completed curing and grading,” TIMB said.

    Despite strong sales, around 40% of the crop remains unsold, with many companies still holding substantial volumes, TIMB said. China continues to be the leading importer of Zimbabwean tobacco leaf this year, accounting for 38.8% of total exports since sales began in March.

  • Pakistan Insists No New Taxes on Tobacco Farmers 

    Pakistan Insists No New Taxes on Tobacco Farmers 

    Pakistan’s Federal Law Minister, Azam Nazeer Tarar, said the government is committed to the promotion of agriculture and to providing all necessary facilities to farmers, and that no new regulations or taxes have been imposed on the tobacco crop or landowners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

    Speaking in the National Assembly on Friday in response to concerns raised by Syed Waseem and Asad Qaiser regarding the tax on tobacco crop, the minister informed the House that under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, the government believes in the development of agriculture and in supporting farmers.

    He said that two major multinational tobacco companies pay Rs 250 billion ($900 million) in taxes annually and hold a 44% market share, while local companies hold a 56% share but contribute only slightly more than 3% in taxes.

    Azam said that industries earning profits have a responsibility to contribute their fair share to the national treasury, and that government oversight begins when the crop moves into the processing phase. He said there are some proposals regarding raw tobacco and assured that the government is aware of the challenges faced by farmers.

  • Malawi Leaf Hits New High 

    Malawi Leaf Hits New High 

    Nyasa Tobacco Company (NTC), Malawi’s leading tobacco buyer, made headlines this week by purchasing tobacco at $3.30 per kilogram on the auction floors, the highest so far this season. Fleetwood Haiya, Director of Nyasa Tobacco, praised farmers for consistently delivering high-quality leaf since the marketing season opened in April.

     “This $3.30 is not just a number, it’s a recognition of the sweat, dedication, and hard work that our farmers invest in producing quality tobacco,” said Haiya. “As a proudly local company, we believe in rewarding excellence, and today’s pricing is a direct result of that belief.”

    Haiya emphasized that this price was not from contract farming, but achieved on the open auction floor, making it a true milestone in farmer empowerment and transparent pricing. He also urged farmers to maintain good grading practices, stressing that proper grading significantly enhances the value of their product. “Grading is key. When the leaf is well-graded, we’re more than willing to pay top dollar,” he said. “We want to ensure that every kilogram reflects a fair return on the farmer’s effort.”

  • Brazil Projected to Crack $3B in Tobacco Exports

    Brazil Projected to Crack $3B in Tobacco Exports

    According to yesterday’s projection by consulting firm Deloitte, Brazil’s tobacco exports are expected to surpass the $3 billion mark in 2025. The forecast anticipates an increase of 10% to 15% in volume and value. In February, the projection was $2.977 billion.

    According to data from the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, Brazil shipped 104,000 tons of tobacco in the first quarter of 2025. The volume was 1.78% lower compared to the same period in 2024, however, the value of sales rose by 12.85%, reaching $744 million. The main buyers of Brazilian tobacco in the first quarter were China, Belgium, Indonesia, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.

    In 2024, Brazil exported 455,000 tons of tobacco to 113 countries, generating around $2.9 billion in revenue. This figure exceeded the historical average of the past decade, which stood at $2 billion. Brazil has been the world’s largest tobacco exporter for over 30 years. About 90% of its production is destined for international markets. In terms of overall production, Brazil ranks second only to China.

    “The preference of international customers for Brazilian tobacco is a direct result of the product’s quality and integrity, guaranteed by the Integrated Tobacco Production System,” said Valmor Thesing, president of the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union.

  • Malawi Confiscates 170 “Nested” Tobacco Bales

    Malawi Confiscates 170 “Nested” Tobacco Bales

    Malawi’s Tobacco Commission (TC) confiscated at least 170 nested tobacco bales in the three weeks of sales. Nesting is the concealment of stems, scraps, loose leaves, or any object within a bale to deceive a buyer on quality or quantity.

    “Out of 170 bales, 140 have been confiscated at Lilongwe Floors, 25 at Chinkhoma, and two at Limbe Floors,” TC public relations officer Telephorus Chigwenembe said.  

    Chigwenembe said the confiscated bales have been sent to grading companies for rehandling. Proceeds from the sale of the rehandled bales will be forfeited to the Commission, whereas in years past, the TC split the money with the tobacco owners.

  • Zimbabwe “Will Reach 280M KG,” Hopes to Process More Domestically

    Zimbabwe “Will Reach 280M KG,” Hopes to Process More Domestically

    Zimbabwe’s 2025 tobacco marketing season is underway, with 85 million kilograms of the crop, valued at $292 million, having gone under the hammer. Farmers are happy but expect prices to continue firming as the season progresses.

    “While the season started slowly, we are witnessing a rise in tobacco deliveries and we are confident we will reach our target of 280 million kg this season,” Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB)’s acting chief executive officer Emmanuel Matsvaire said. “The highest price offered to date has been $6.30/kg, with the average price sitting at $3.43/kg as of April 17. 

    “TIMB is proud to announce a significant milestone in the decentralization of tobacco production in Zimbabwe. For the second consecutive season, tobacco is being successfully grown in Marula, Mangwe district, Matabeleland South. This is an important step in expanding the crop beyond its traditional strongholds in Manicaland and Mashonaland provinces, [with] 122 small-scale farmers growing 84 hectares of Natural Cured Virginia (NCV) tobacco under a contract arrangement with Atlas Agri. The contractor has since established a local tobacco sales floor, which was inspected and approved by TIMB and will operate this marketing season.”

    Despite the overall positives, stakeholders are concerned about side-marketing issues that continue to threaten the industry.

    “Side marketing remains a challenge in the industry,” Matsvaire said. “Some growers sell their tobacco to middlemen, others sell tobacco produced under contract at auction floors using other farmers’ grower numbers. This practice undermines structured markets, while negatively affecting debt and revenue collection, and exposes growers to low value and exploitation.”

    TIMB is also working toward keeping more tobacco processing in the country, as it loses billions of dollars of revenue by exporting semi-processed tobacco. 

    “The target was to increase value addition and beneficiation of tobacco into cut rag and cigarettes production from 2% of total tobacco produced to 30% to increase of exports of cigarettes by 2025, and to date we have achieved 10.15%,” Matsvaire said. “More effort is being put by the government and private partners to increase value addition. Ten cigarette manufacturers with a combined production capacity of around 4.4 billion cigarette sticks per annum are operating in the country.”

  • Zimbabwe: Grower’s Investment in Quality Pays Off

    Zimbabwe: Grower’s Investment in Quality Pays Off

    Thirty days into the marketing season, Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board reminded growers that quality tobacco that is properly grown, cured, conditioned, graded, and baled attracts top prices at the market, and they should handle their tobacco with care at every stage to avoid lamina damage. The board used Pedia Matamisa, a self-financing grower from Murehwa’s Percyvale Farm, as the face of its message.

    Matamisa was a beneficiary of the Land Reform Program under A2 and this year received the highest tobacco price on the auction floor when two of her bales fetched $4.99 per kilogram. Her lowest price was $2.33 per kilogram and she averaged $3.28. She said last year she averaged $1.79.

    Previously using porous, plastic barns to cure, Matamisa said fellow farmers helped her realize that the use of good barns had a bearing on the quality of the leaf and she decided to improve hers. Unable to get a loan, she sold her car to help get the $5,000 she needed to build a “rocket barn.”

    Originally designed in 2008 in Malawi, Kutsaga Research began building the Zimbabwean version of rocket barns in 2011, which not only help provide consistent heat to improve curing quality but also reduce the amount of fuel needed by up to 50%.

    Matamisa also urged other farmers to properly grade their leaves according to size and not mix the short and long ones.

     “I had two bales that were rejected because of these mixing issues,” she said. “Besides the disadvantage of lowering your prices, this also brings additional re-handling costs.”

  • ITGA Announces Annual Meeting

    ITGA Announces Annual Meeting

    Tobacco-producing countries from North, Central, and South America have been invited to participate in the International Tobacco Growers’ Association (ITGA) “Americas Regional Meeting on April 24 in Jujuy, Argentina

    The ITGA is convening stakeholders from the tobacco sector across the Americas to address key issues currently impacting the industry. This year’s discussions will place particular emphasis on the increasing regulatory pressure from the World Health Organization (WHO), driven by its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which will host its Eleventh Conference of the Parties (COP11) this coming November.

    Brazil—currently the world’s largest exporter of tobacco and the second-largest producer after China—has taken one of the strongest opposing stances in the context of these WHO negotiations. The Brazilian Tobacco Growers’ Association (Afubra) will be in attendance to advocate for the socio-economic importance of tobacco in the regions where it is cultivated and to showcase initiatives that promote family farming both within and beyond the tobacco sector.

    “We must support our Brazilian brothers in defending the sector because it affects us all and must be seen as a joint struggle,” said José Aranda, president of the ITGA.