HARARE, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Over 52 percent of tobacco leaf in Zimbabwe is being grown by beneficiaries of the land reform program, a cabinet minister said Tuesday.
The number of growers has also increased 17-fold since the commencement of the land reform program, with over 85 percent of the tobacco currently being grown by the smallholder sector, said Jenfan Muswere, the minister of information, publicity and broadcasting services, at a press briefing.
Commercial tobacco growing was a preserve of a few former white commercial farmers before the land reform program, which was implemented by the government in 2000.
Muswere said the average yield has also increased since the local farmers have gained experience, with the average price paid to farmers increasing by 80 percent between 2000 and 2023.
Zimbabwe exports 98 percent of its tobacco to over 60 destinations. Last year, the country produced 296 million kg of the golden leaf and this year's crop is projected to be slightly lower, due to the impact of the El-Nino-induced drought. ■
