From a historical point of view, tobacco was introduced into the Sub-Saharan region by Portuguese explorers and Arab slave traders. Before European settlers came into Zimbabwe it is known that indigenous people grew tobacco (Nyoka Tobacco).The first claim to successfully grow flue-cured tobacco was made in 1894 in Mutare.

In 1910, the first auction sales took place in Zimbabwe but was later abandoned in 1914 due to lack of competition between buyers and over production.  From then on, the crop was sold through various methods including sales by private treaty and co-operative selling, where growers were contracted to sell their crops to the Tobacco Co-operative Society.

The Tobacco Marketing and Levy Act governing the Tobacco Industry was promulgated in 1936. This Act provided for the formation of the Tobacco Marketing Board (now the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board) and the compulsory selling of tobacco through the Auction floors.The Tobacco Marketing and Levy (Amendment) Act, 1997 facilitated the change of name from Tobacco Marketing Board to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) and subsequent renaming of the Act as the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Act [Chapter 18:20].