🍂 Flue-cured Tobacco farming in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's leading export crop. High value but input- and labour-intensive, and regulated by the TIMB.
- Season / planting window
- Seedbeds sown June–Aug; irrigated transplanting from 1 Sept, dryland from Nov.
- Best regions
- Mashonaland Central, East and West; Manicaland. Light sandy soils are preferred.
- Spacing / population
- 1.2 m rows x 0.5–0.6 m in-row ≈ 14 000–16 000 plants/ha.
- Expected yield
- 2 500–3 500 kg/ha cured leaf under good management.
Stage by stage
Register & plan
Before sowing
- Register as a grower with the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) — it is a legal requirement.
- Secure a wood lot or coal supply for curing; TIMB requires sustainable curing fuel.
Fertiliser and chemicals
- FertiliserCompound C (6:18:10) or Compound L basal
700–1 000 kg/ha · Into the ridge before transplanting
- FertiliserAmmonium Nitrate top dressing
150–250 kg/ha split · Weeks 2–3 and week 5
Field tip
Never grow tobacco after tobacco — rotate with maize or a grass ley to manage nematodes and wilt.
The rest of this flue-cured tobacco guide
- 6 more stages, from land preparation through to storage
- 6 more fertiliser, herbicide, pesticide and fungicide entries with rates
- All field tips, plus the printable and downloadable version
- Your own crop, cost and activity records in the FarmInvest app
Full farming cycle guides
Free and complete — land, equipment, crops, inputs and harvest.