Zimbabwe Targets 2030 Ban on Indigenous Wood for Tobacco Curing

By Siphosami Ndlovu

Victoria Falls — Government has unveiled a multi-pronged strategy to curb deforestation linked to tobacco curing, as pressure mounts to protect indigenous forests while sustaining the livelihoods of over 135 000 smallholder farmers.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 70th CORESTA Congress in Victoria Falls, Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, Dr. Anxious Jongwe Masuka, said Government was targeting cleaner curing technologies and alternative fuels to reduce dependence on indigenous firewood.

He said about 135 000 predominantly smallholder farmers produce 85% of Zimbabwe's tobacco, making sustainable curing critical to the future of the industry.

"We know that 85 percent of the tobacco is produced by 135 000 predominantly smallholder farmers. The first, of course, is to look at the more efficient curing systems," Dr. Masuka said.

He said one of the key interventions was the rocket barn developed by Kutsaga Research, which reduces firewood consumption by up to 50%.

Dr. Masuka said Government had waived the levy on coal to encourage farmers to shift from indigenous firewood to alternative fuels, while the industry is planting eucalyptus trees to establish commercial fuel plantations.

The industry has intensified efforts towards sustainable curing, with new initiatives achieving a 50% reduction in firewood usage, stakeholders told the Congress.

Dr Masuka said tobacco contractors have a critical role to play, given that between 93 and 94% of the crop is produced under contract farming arrangements.

The CORESTA Congress 2026 is running from October 25 to 29 in Victoria Falls under the theme "Science for Sustainability and Harm Reduction in the Transforming Tobacco Landscape."

It has drawn more than 330 delegates from 30 countries and marks the first time Zimbabwe has hosted the congress in 63 years.