Zimbabwe predicts a sharp decline in tobacco crop as El Niño takes toll, a year after record harvest

By FARAI MUTSAKA
Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe, Africa’s largest tobacco producer, has begun its annual tobacco-selling season with officials and farmers projecting a sharp decline in harvests and quality because of a drought blamed on climate change and worsened by the El Niño weather phenomenon. Small-scale farmers who lack equipment and rely on rainwater produce 75% of the crop. That makes the country’s production vulnerable to weather conditions. Like some of its neighbors, Zimbabwe is battling a devastating drought. Aid agencies say many families will be forced to rely on food aid because of poor crops.