Tobacco Research and Development

Abstract

Zimbabwe became the third largest exporter of high quality tobacco in the world, although the tobacco industry originated from modest beginnings. The production of tobacco was started by the indigenous population before the arrival of white settlers. Later, a small group of white farmers planted it as a potentially profitable venture before the end of the nineteenth century. In 1905,100 farmers were growing the crop and by 1910 about 90,000kgs of flue-cured tobacco were being exported annually to Britain (Haviland, 1952). Sustainable production of any product hinges on its research and development. In the many changes of fortune that occurred during the ensuing years it became obvious that the internationally orientated export industry required specialized and up-to-date research support to solve the problems that were increasingly besetting growers.