HARARE, Oct. 17 — Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s largest tobacco producers, aims to leverage its booming trade with China to increase tobacco production and promote value addition, a senior government official has said. Zimbabwean Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Anxious Masuka made the remarks Thursday on the sidelines of the Zimbabwe-China Tobacco Expo, which opened the same day in Harare, the country’s capital. The two-day event brought together Zimbabwean, Chinese and other global industry stakeholders to discuss ways to enhance tobacco production, processing and value addition. Masuka said that after achieving a record tobacco output of 355 million kilograms this year, Zimbabwe now aims to process 100 million kilograms of the locally produced crop through partnerships with China. “China is the biggest export market for Zimbabwean tobacco. We hope that will remain the case in the future, which is why, as we discuss increasing volumes, we have chosen to walk together with them to reach our goal of 500 million kilograms,” said Masuka. While about 10 percent of Zimbabwe’s tobacco leaf is currently processed locally, less than one percent is made into cigarettes, a market segment Zimbabwe now seeks to enter, Masuka said. Through collaboration with China, Zimbabwe aims to ensure that the bulk of its tobacco is processed locally to create jobs, boost export earnings and strengthen the country’s industrial base, he said. Masuka added that Zimbabwe could also benefit from acquiring advanced cigarette manufacturing equipment from China to further enhance value addition and beneficiation. Patrick Devenish, chairman of the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board, said China has long been a pillar of Zimbabwe’s tobacco trade. He said that Zimbabwe now seeks to explore the vast Chinese market by exporting locally manufactured cigarettes to one of the world’s largest cigarette consumer markets. “Cigarettes are all about branding and finding markets for those brands. The biggest market for cigarettes in the world is China. So, if we can work with China to produce more of their cigarettes, that will be better for us, and hopefully for them too,” Devenish said. China has the technology, capital and experience, while Zimbabwe has raw materials, skilled farmers, land and policy support for quality tobacco production. Together, the two countries can establish joint ventures in cigarette manufacturing, nicotine extraction, shisha production and alternative tobacco product processing, he said. Devenish also noted that Zimbabwe’s value addition drive faces challenges, including limited access to affordable long-term financing, underutilized factory capacity and outdated equipment. Collaboration with Chinese partners, he said, could help bridge those gaps. Celani Sithole, sales and marketing manager at the Tobacco Sales Floor, one of Zimbabwe’s leading tobacco auction platforms, expressed optimism about increasing partnerships with China. “I am looking forward to seeing more Chinese businesses participating on our tobacco platform,” Sithole said.
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