A Chinese investor plans to build a multi-billion dollar nicotine-extraction factory in Zimbabwe this year, according to reports from The Herald newspaper. The plans are at an advanced stage, as confirmed by Zimbabwe's former ambassador to China, Christopher Mutsvangwa.
The facility will extract nicotine from tobacco stalks, leaves, and flowers for use in cigarette alternatives such as e-cigarettes. Once established, the factory is expected to also process tobacco from neighboring countries including Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia.
"There is going to be a very big industry to extract nicotine from the by-products after selecting the premium tobacco leaves," Mutsvangwa told participants in a meeting of the ruling Zanu PF party's Mashonaland West provincial coordinating committee in Chinhoyi.
"The Chinese firms have an interest in setting up the factories here in Zimbabwe because of our production levels," he added.
The investor's board of directors reportedly met on May 31, 2024, to finalize the modalities of setting up the factory, which will likely be built in Karoi, one of Zimbabwe's largest tobacco-producing districts.
In addition to the nicotine-extraction facility, Zimbabwe is also expected to become a major producer of cannabis seeds following plans to establish a US$400 million factory. "We now have the capacity to produce cannabis seed in the country. After an initial investment of $30 million, the company now wants to set up a seed production factory," said Mutsvangwa.
These investments in nicotine extraction and cannabis production are part of Zimbabwe's efforts to extract more value from its tobacco industry, as outlined in the government's Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan.
