Overview

Zimbabwe’s economic growth potential is closely tied to its agricultural sector, which includes over 4 million hectares of arable land, approximately 25 percent of which is cultivated using animal and manual draught power. Following the fast-track land reform program launched in 2000, irrigation infrastructure deteriorated, leaving most new landowners reliant on rain-fed agriculture. In December 2024, the government introduced a new land tenure system that converts offer letters, permits, and 99-year leases into securitized tenure documents. These documents aim to provide farmers with sufficient security to access bank financing and attract investment for agricultural development.

While inefficient “command” agricultural subsidy programs have hampered growth and mismanaged billions of dollars over the years, the government has begun opening up to private sector funding for agricultural activities. For example, during the 2024 winter wheat season, private entities such as banks and the Private Millers Association funded cultivation of 80,000 hectares of the government’s 120,000-hectare target. To address ecological challenges, the government is promoting the cultivation of sorghum and millet, which are better suited to Zimbabwe’s semi-arid regions.

Leading Sub-sectors

Agricultural Machinery

Zimbabwe has a significant need for modern agricultural equipment to improve production. Local farmers have expressed a preference for American agricultural equipment, citing its superior quality and value compared to Chinese and Belarussian models competing in the market. The government estimates that the country has over 50,000 medium- to large-scale farmers but only 25,000 functional tractors, far short of the 40,000 required for commercial cultivation. In 2024, the government signed agreements with international partners, including Valley Irrigation, to import center pivot irrigation systems to cover 23,000 hectares of land. 

Tobacco:

Tobacco is Zimbabwe’s most important cash crop for generating foreign exchange. In 2025, the sector produced over 300,000 tons of tobacco at an average price of $3.36 per ton. The industry is one of the country’s largest employers and is dominated by small-scale farmers.
Zimbabwe exports the majority of its tobacco to Asian markets, with China accounting for the largest share of exports.  

Soybeans:

Local demand for soybeans in Zimbabwe is increasing due to their use in cooking oil, stock feeds, and industrial applications. According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTATS), the country requires approximately 240,000 metric tons of soybeans annually. Local production is estimated at approximately 42,000 tons, meeting just 18 percent of national demand.
Despite a government soybean program introduced in 2017 to spur production, Zimbabwe continues to rely on imports from Zambia and Malawi to meet demand. At the farm level, soybeans are a short-season crop with a lucrative return on investment of up to 200 percent. 

Cotton:

According to 2024 data from the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), cotton output in Zimbabwe declined by 96 percent over the past 13 years, falling from 360,000 tons in 2011 to 13,000 tons in 2024. During the same period, ginning capacity—the process of separating cotton from seeds—dropped from 750,000 tons to the current 150,000 metric tons. Cotton, Zimbabwe’s second most important cash crop in terms of foreign currency generation, is typically grown under contract farming arrangements. Under these agreements, contractors provide production inputs such as seed, fertilizer, and chemicals to farmers on loan, then purchase the harvested seed cotton, deduct input costs, and pay farmers the remaining balance.
Certain government departments, including the National Biotechnology Authority of Zimbabwe (NBA), believe the sector could benefit from adopting improved seed varieties, including genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and producing higher-quality fabric to increase demand for raw cotton. Confined field trials of genetically modified Bollgard II (Bt) cotton in Zimbabwe have shown promising results, demonstrating potential to boost cotton yields, reduce pesticide use, and improve farmer incomes. However, commercialization of Bt cotton awaits regulatory approval and further consultations. 

Corn:

Corn is Zimbabwe’s principal food crop. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Zimbabwe’s 2024-25 corn production is estimated at 1.3 million tons, more than double the output from the previous drought-affected season. The post-harvest survey by the national data agency Zimstats reported a higher production of 1.8 million tons for the same period. However, these figures remain below the country’s annual domestic requirement of 2.0 million tons.
To encourage domestic production and support local farmers, the Government of Zimbabwe (GOZ) banned the importation of corn, grains, oilseeds, and related products in September 2025, except in cases of need. The Agricultural Marketing Authority of Zimbabwe requires all grain processors to source at least 40 percent of their annual grain requirements locally by April 2026, increasing to 100 percent by April 2028. 

Wheat:

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Zimbabwe’s 2025 wheat harvest reached approximately 560,000 tons, exceeding the country’s annual consumption of 360,000 tons. Over the past eight years, Zimbabwe has increased wheat production from approximately 100,000 tons to current levels through a public-private partnership model. This approach combined government input support for vulnerable small-scale farmers with private sector participation, including loans provided to commercial and contract farmers.  

Opportunities

U.S. companies have significant opportunities to sell high-quality tractors to local farmers as part of Zimbabwe’s agricultural mechanization drive. Demand for advanced irrigation equipment remains high as farmers, and the government, seek alternatives to rain-fed agriculture susceptible to frequent droughts.
Additional opportunities exist in food processing machinery, aligning with the government’s goal of increasing value addition in agricultural production. The agro-chemicals subsector presents further prospects, particularly in manufacturing fertilizer, insecticides, and pesticides, which the Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency (ZIDA) has identified as critical areas for capacity expansion.
 

Resources

Commercial Farmers Union of Zimbabwe
Harare Show Grounds, 7, Belvedere, Harare
Tel: +263 4770029/57/59/71

Zimbabwe Farmers Union
5 Van Praagh Avenue Milton Park, Harare
Tel: +263 771564554

Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board
429 Glen Eagles Road, Southerton, Harare
Tel: +263 772145166/9