Agriculture in Zimbabwe
Agriculture in Zimbabwe is overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture. Agriculture accounts for 18% of Zimbabwe's GDP as of 2015.[1]
Products
In addition to food production, principal products include tobacco, cotton and wool.[2]
Tobacco
Zimbabwe's tobacco sector is the largest grower of tobacco in Africa, and the 6th largest in the world. Tobacco is Zimbabwe's leading agricultural export and one of its main sources of foreign exchange. 54% of Zimbabwe's tobacco exports were sold to China in 2015.[3] Since land reform began in 2000, most of the white-owned commercial tobacco farms have been seized by the government and redistributed to small-scale black farmers. Production of tobacco was disrupted, and the harvest fell by 79% between 2000 and 2008. However, the industry recovered after the contract system was introduced in 2008.[4] In 2014, Zimbabwe produced 217 million kg of tobacco, the third largest crop on record.[5][6]
Vocational education
Agriculture colleges in Zimbabwe include: Chibero Agricultural College, Esigodini Agricultural College, Gwebi Agricultural College, Kushinga Phikelela National Farmer Training Centre, Mazowe Veterinary College, Mlezu Agricultural College, and Rio Tino Agricultural College.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ Dzirutwe, MacDonald (16 April 2015). "Zimbabwe takes tobacco road to agriculture recovery". Reuters.
- ↑ CIA World Factbook, Zimbabwe
- ↑ "China gets lion’s share of tobacco exports". NewsDay Zimbabwe. 4 May 2015.
- ↑ Marawanyika, Godfrey (4 November 2013). "Mugabe Makes Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Farmers Land Grab Winners". Bloomberg.
- ↑ Machingura, Gretinah (July 10, 2016). "Partnering Chinese, Zimbabwe tobacco farmers embark on road to success". Xinhua.
- ↑ "Tobacco in Zimbabwe". Issues in the Global Tobacco Economy. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2003.
- ↑ Ministry of Agriculture, front page
External links
- Ministry of Agriculture
- United Nations Development Program in Zimbabwe (UNDP)
- CIA World Factbook, Zimbabwe