In Zimbabwe, tobacco is renowned as the "golden leaf" due to its distinctive color and significant contribution to the economy, providing a livelihood for many households. "I am expecting the leaf to fetch a higher price at the auction because the quality of my leaf this year is high compared to last year's," a 45-year-old small-scale farmer said.

HARARE, March 12 (Xinhua) -- As a new marketing season dawned, Tendai Chimhondoro waited patiently for her golden leaf crop to go under the hammer in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare.

Chimhondoro, a 45-year-old small-scale farmer from Shamva in Mashonaland Central Province, has been selling tobacco at the auction floors since she started growing the cash crop three years ago.

"I am expecting the leaf to fetch a higher price at the auction because the quality of my leaf this year is high compared to last year's," Chimhondoro told Xinhua.

The tobacco auction season opened on March 5 and is expected to run until the third quarter of this year. Chimhondoro said that while tobacco is not a food crop, it generates more income to put food on the table than staple crops like maize.

"Since I started bringing my tobacco to the auction floor, my life has changed. I am now at another level, and my earnings have greatly improved," said Chimhondoro.

Although most tobacco sales occur through contracts, auction floors provide a ready market for many small-scale farmers, such as Chimhondoro, to sell their produce.

In Zimbabwe, tobacco is renowned as the "golden leaf" due to its distinctive color and significant contribution to the economy, providing a livelihood for many households.

Primarily exported to China, the United Arab Emirates, and South Africa, among other destinations, it has become one of the leading foreign currency earners for the southern African country.

According to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board, the industry regulator, tobacco farmers have expanded planting area to 125,000 hectares this season, up from 113,000 hectares last year. Driven by favorable rainfall, the output is projected to rise from 240 million kg in 2024 to 280 million kg.

Rangarirai Chisvo, a farmer from Shamva, said he cultivates tobacco because it yields higher economic returns per hectare than common food crops. However, he also grows maize and other food crops for household consumption.

He said many small-scale tobacco growers struggle with limited access to funding and modern farming equipment, leading to lower yields.

Lloyd Titi, another small-scale farmer from Shamwa, preferred tobacco for its drought tolerance, especially as climate change has made rainfall patterns increasingly erratic.

"Maize is water thirst, but tobacco is short seasoned, so it's more dependable," he said, expecting a high tobacco output in both volume and quality due to the good rainfall received during the cropping season.

George Seremwe, president of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association, also expressed optimism about a rebound in the tobacco sector this year.

"As we went into January and up to date, the rains are good, and reaping is ongoing," he said. "The marketing season is promising to be good."