Zimbabwe’s Emerging Tobacco Queens

Madeline Murambwi's tobacco crops on her 32-hectare farm in Zimbabwe's Mashonaland East province. She is one of this southern African nation's emerging female tobacco tycoons. Credit: Jeffrey Moyo/IPSBy Jeffrey MoyoHARARE, May 11 2014 (IPS) Madeline Murambwi sits behind the wheel of her brand new Toyota Land Cruiser, threading her way through the traffic in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. She’s on her way back from the tobacco auction floors where she just pocketed thousands of dollars. “Tobacco farming is a brisk business here. Before joining it, I didn’t realise men were making lots of money out of this leaf. I have made great economic strides in my life,” Murambwi tells IPS, adding that she now also invests in property.“Women here are fast becoming tobacco tycoons, holding their heads high in the midst of male tobacco farmers..." -- Zimbabwe Association of Women Tobacco Farmers chairperson Grace Mapuranga “So far I have made 42,000 dollars through tobacco sales, with more sales to come,” says Murambwi, 47, who has a 32-hectare tobacco farm in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland East Province. In 2012, Murambwi ventured into tobacco farming and her business continues to grow each season. “Faced with responsibilities I couldn’t avoid as a single parent, I turned to tobacco farming as a way to generate a more reliable income,” Murambwi says. On the Zimbabwean market, a kilogram of tobacco can sell from between 2,67 and 2,91 dollars, depending on the quality. Accor...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Africa Africa's Young Farmers Seeding the Future Development & Aid Economy & Trade Featured Food & Agriculture Gender Headlines Health Poverty & MDGs Regional Categories TerraViva United Nations Tobacco Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Associ Source Type: news