00:00Tobacco production in Zimbabwe is rebounding to record levels, as farmers look for more
00:07profitable and resilient crops.
00:11It's a move supported by the government, which is planning to increase output and value
00:16addition such as cigarette production, despite environmental risks.
00:24Growing up in Mashona land east, my parents stopped farming tobacco some years back because
00:30curing the tobacco became harder as they couldn't afford the coal to fire barns and we relied
00:36on cutting firewood.
00:38It led us to extreme deforestation and we had problems with the Environmental Management
00:44Agency.
00:46Zimbabwe's tobacco sector was further hit by a botched government land reform programme
00:53and in 2008 it collapsed.
00:56But many of the crops that replaced it just weren't profitable.
01:01I did a sunflower for two years.
01:05Yes, it gave me some use, but I was not satisfied.
01:09I still wanted a cash cow.
01:12I then got this news that we can also plant tobacco in this region, and it was coming
01:19from our architects officer.
01:23I then registered to also plough tobacco.
01:28Tobacco is also resilient, so offers a safe harbour for many smallholder farmers.
01:34They're now responsible for about 85% of the country's total output.
01:41Cases of maybe when these farmers had been doing cereal crops and other vegetables to sustain
01:48their life loads for their families, wildlife would come in and destroy or eat those croppings
01:56that they've done.
01:57So with tobacco, it's more of a game changer to these farmers because tobacco, by nature,
02:04it doesn't really taste well if an animal consumes it.
02:08But the sector is dominated by contract farming, often for Chinese companies.
02:13The model leaves many farmers dependent and struggling to break even due to fees and low prices.
02:20Thank you so much!
02:21We'll keep them down.
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