Tobacco farmers threaten boycott as prices crash to US$1

Opening-day tobacco prices in Zimbabwe nosedived from US$4.60 per kilogram to as low as US$0.50, and growers are furious.

2026 tobacco season off to a rough start

• First bale fetched US$4.60 per kilogram on Wednesday, March 4.
• That opening figure already trailed last year's US$4.65 debut.
• Farmers suspect the high starting price was just a publicity stunt.
• Buyers quickly dropped offers to around US$1 per kilogram.

Prices cratered by day's end

• Some growers reportedly got offered just US$0.50 per kilogram.
• Video footage captured widespread complaints on the auction floor.
• Oversupply arguments did not satisfy angry farmers.
• The gap between the advertised opener and actual offers felt deliberately misleading.

Threats to pull crops entirely

• Farmers warned they cannot even cover transport costs home at current rates.
• Worker wages become impossible to honor at rock-bottom pricing.
• Withdrawal from the auction floors was floated as a collective response.
• Protest energy on opening day signaled deep frustration across the grower community.