OUR Services

Contract Farming

Aqua Tobacco Zimbabwe contracts small to medium scale farmers in Zimbabwe’s four flue cured  tobacco growing provinces. We offer both input and financial support to all our contracted growers. Qualification for loan is based on the growers farming experience and a traceable record of tobacco production. Our growers are managed in groups (clusters) under the guidance of an appointed chairperson and our Leaf Technician. This arrangement strengthens information sharing and coordination during inputs disbursement and tobacco deliveries to the contract buying floor. The scheme into which a farmer is put is a function of his experience and tobacco production history. Our target is for farmers to get a yield of at least 2000 kgs of flue cured tobacco per ha.

Transport

We have a reliable and efficient fleet of both small and haulage trucks capable of distributing inputs to the growers as well as tobacco from the field to the contract Floor. This transport system is replicated at the contract Floor for transporting the purchased green leaf tobacco bales to our warehouse for storage awaiting processing.

Extension Services

The Production Manager heads a team of vastly experienced and highly qualified agronomists who offer extension services to our loan contract farmers. We ensure that the best agronomic practices are adhered to throughout the overall crop production cycle. This is achieved by: Planned training programs for field staff. Field demonstrations workshops targeting both the farmers and field staff. Close monitoring and supervision of farmers by field staff. With this kind of technical support, and agronomic expertise, we have always managed to produce high quality tobacco capable of fetching competitive prices at the market.

Leaf Buying

All tobacco sales in Zimbabwe are controlled by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) to ensure an orderly exchange of tobacco between the grower and the buyer. ATZ has employed qualified and experienced tobacco buyers who properly adhere to the TIMB flue cured tobacco buying regulations. The buyers are responsible for inspecting the green leaf tobacco classification, defects, moisture level, temperature, packaging , non-tobacco related material and setting of prices per bale per classified grade. Our highly qualified buying team also assists our growers with technical tobacco grading knowledge,balling and presentation advice to equip our growers so that they realize the highest return per dollar invested.

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Warehousing

Purchased green leaf tobacco is received, stacked and fumigated in our storage warehouse located near our contract buying floor. Both green leaf tobacco from contract buying and auction floor is bar coded and stacked according to our internal grades for easy dispatching to the processing factory. The tobacco storage warehouse has fitted humidifiers to control the moisture content of the tobacco during storage. An operating system is in place to facilitate easy tracking of green tobacco bales stock and also the generation of dispatch reports. The system is integrated with the leaf processing factory system for easy tobacco leaf accounting and reconciliation purposes.

Leaf Processing

Strictly adhering to our customers’ requirements and processing instructions, ATZ has invested heavily in experienced tobacco blending personnel responsible for monitoring the tobacco threshing process in order to meet customer’s satisfaction. ATZ contract growing scheme and Auction purchases produce different types of tobacco grades suitable enough to give the best tobacco blends. Our proficient team makes sure that all tobacco delivered for processing are of the same grades which gratifies the customer. During the threshing process our staff works closely with the processing factory team to monitor and inspect the tobacco feeding ratios, moisture, non-tobacco related material, temperature, shaking screens, sampling, and also obeying to customer’s instructions.

Export

We have established a strong business relationship with Ocean Cargo Private Limited Zimbabwe for all our Export logistics. The company is well established and has vast experience in the tobacco export business gained from dealing with the biggest competing companies in the tobacco industry in Zimbabwe. ATZ is proudly declaring its rapid growth and the muscle it now possesses by exporting threshed tobacco to the intent customers around the world. Our tobacco export capacity currently stands at 1000 Tonnes/ annum and we are determined to work towards improving and widening the scope of our export base.