Published: 08 September 2025

Senior agronomist Lazarus Gatawa has called on tobacco farmers to actively implement environmentally friendly farming practices to reduce the sector's impact on the environment and comply with international standards.

"Tobacco production is putting more pressure on woodlands as farmers use indigenous trees as a paramount source of curing energy for their crop," said Gatawa, Mashonaland Central's senior agronomist.

He urged farmers to mitigate forest destruction by planting recommended fast-growing tree species. Reports indicate that over 200,000 hectares of indigenous forests are lost annually in Zimbabwe due to tobacco curing alone.

"If no pragmatic actions are taken by stakeholders, forests will continue to suffer amid the record-breaking euphoria of tobacco production," he warned.

The Forestry Act, Environmental Management Act, and related statutory instruments require tobacco farmers to plant trees every farming season, underscoring the legal obligation to balance production with environmental sustainability.
- The Standard

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