Tobacco producers in Zimbabwe and the Philippines have entered into a pact to work together and share expertise. Tobacco is Zimbabwe’s largest agricultural export, generating $1.3 billion from 236 million kg exported in 2024, and is expecting to export 300 million kg this year. Of that, however, 98% of the tobacco is exported raw, allowing manufacturers in 60 other countries to collect much of the profits. The Philippines, on the other hand, processes 46 billion cigarettes domestically each year.
“This is an ideal opportunity for Zimbabwean farmers and processors,” Musi Muzite, acting executive secretary for Zimbabwe’s National Economic Consultative Forum, said. “We have made significant progress in production, and by leveraging the Philippines’ expertise in processing, we can unlock greater value across the entire tobacco chain.”
Through the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan, Zimbabwe hopes to convert the tobacco manufacturing sector into a $5 billion industry by 2030 by promoting local value addition, increasing domestic funding, and improving infrastructure, such as curing facilities. It also hopes to increase its tobacco exports in the Philippines.
“We have been in Zimbabwe and our mission is to explore areas where we can collaborate, particularly in the production of tobacco,” Robert Ambrose, the Philippines’ National Tobacco Administration regulatory manager said. “While we have a comparative advantage in processing, Zimbabwe leads in raw tobacco production, and we see great potential in combining our strengths.”
