The amount exceeded the government’s target of USD 400 million.

This development has enabled tobacco to surpass coffee and cashew nuts as the leading traditional export, becoming the top commercial crop. This success is due to the contractual farming arrangement between farmers and buyers, which boosted production to 122 million kilograms. Tanzania is now the second-largest producer in Africa after Zimbabwe, aided by a rise in global commodity prices.

Tanzania’s rise to the second position highlights the nation’s strategic focus on improving agricultural output and gaining influence in the tobacco industry across the continent. This achievement reflects the government’s commitment to sustainable development and economic growth through agriculture, according to the report.

Minister of Agriculture Hussein Bashe recently stated that efforts to attract investors over the past three years have stimulated crop production and increased export volumes, with prices growing from USD 1.4 per kilogram to USD 2.4 per kilogram. For the 2024/25 season, Tanzania aims to produce 200,000 tons of tobacco, with an even more ambitious goal of 300,000 tons in the 2025/26 season. The minister highlighted a target to increase export earnings to between USD 600 million and 700 million annually. Bashe praised Tanzania’s farmers’ associations and tobacco companies, noting that for the first time, more than 50 per cent of tobacco has been bought and sold abroad by local companies.