Tobacco industry production in Mozambique fell by 50% in the first three months of 2024, compared to the same period last year, totalling just 7 million meticals (101,000 euros), according to data from the Ministry of Economy and Finance published by Lusa.
According to the budget execution report, this figure contrasts with the 13 million meticals (187.2 thousand euros) recorded in the first three months of 2023.
The document explains that ‘this decrease represents a drop of 46.2 per cent compared to the previous year, and the government’s estimate for the sector in 2024 is 7.5 million meticals (109 million euros)’.
The report also highlights that in 2023, the tobacco industry’s production increased by 23 per cent compared to the previous year, reaching 4.4 million meticals (64.5 million euros). ‘During the 2022-23 agricultural year, the country had a tobacco-growing area of 76,850 hectares, producing 65,856 tonnes, a 15% reduction compared to the previous agricultural year,’ it explains.
According to the information, for the 2023-24 campaign, the government forecasts an area of 129,321 hectares and production of 81,223 tonnes. “Mozambique has the eighth largest tobacco-growing area in the world, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report released in 2023. With a cultivated area of 91,469 hectares, Mozambique is the third largest producer in Africa, behind Zimbabwe (112,770 hectares) and Malawi (100,962 hectares),’ reads the document.
‘Brazil, with a cultivation area of 357,230 hectares, and Mozambique are the only nations from the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) mentioned in the WHO report,’ reads the official note listing the 50 countries with the largest cultivation area of this plant, previously considered medicinal and currently subject to criticism and restrictive policies due to its massive use.
