The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure Farming Reporter —
HARVESTING of the irrigated tobacco crop — planted in September 2016 — has started at a time the bulk of dryland growers are still in the fields transplanting their seedlings.
Tobacco Industry Marketing Board Public Relations and Communications Manager, Mr Isheunesu Moyo, said reaping was in full throttle in Manicaland and Mashonaland provinces.
“Harvesting has started for the early planted group. This is largely (the) irrigated crop. For some of the farmers with dryland crop, they are still transplanting onto the fields,” said Mr Moyo.
Mr Moyo said the irrigated tobacco crop for 2016-17 totalled 14 395 hectares by the end of last month. About 73 492 tobacco growers had been registered by December 1, 2016 compared to 69 518 during same period last season.
Zimbabwe, last season, produced 202,3 million kilogrammes of tobacco worth $595,9 million. Mr Moyo said modalities for the additional five percent export incentive for tobacco exported last season were still being worked out.
Mr Moyo said it was too early to say when the 2016-17 tobacco marketing season would start as it depends on several factors, for instance buyers have to bring their money onshore, the state of the crop and preparedness of floor operators, among others.
New farmers were encouraged to open bank accounts if they do not have accounts.
“Total planted area this season is 32 208 hectares compared to 28 865 hectares by the same time last season. Farmers are encouraged to minimise handling as it compromises quality.
The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board is holding free trainings in the districts on curing, baling, marketing and presentation and farmers are (being) encouraged to attend,” said Mr Moyo.
Mr Denford Mutwiwa, of Mutwiwa Farm in Headlands told The Manica Post on Tuesday that he started reaping on December 2.
“I started last Friday reaping a barn per day. We have planted 180ha, and the bulky of the crop is at the vegetative stage. At this stage we need to be beefing up our labour, since reaping is labour intensive, but our operations are hamstrung by the biting cash shortages. As I speak, I am in a queue at the bank. It is a struggle to get cash to finance operations,” said Mr Mutwiwa.
Mr Mutwiwa uses electricity wood and coal for curing purposes. Efforts to get a comment from Mr Graeme Chadwick, who rents several farms in Headlands were fruitless. The Manica Post understands that Mr Chadwick has also started reaping.
Provincial Agritex Officer, Mr Godfrey Mamhare, said farmers whose crop had not ripened should to continue with weeding, applying fertilisers and pest control chemicals to get the best crop possible.
Mr Mamhare also warned tobacco growers against cutting down indigenous forests to cure the gold leaves. Curing is the process in which tobacco is hung in barns and wood fires are used to heat the air and dry the leaves in a process that gives it that golden outlook and smoky flavour.
Manicaland is the fourth largest tobacco producer in the country after Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central and in the past it only had two districts of Makoni and Mutare growing the crop, but it is now being grown throughout the province, resulting in unprecedented tree cutting by farmers that have no cheaper alternative sources of energy to cure it.
This trend is likely to remain with the province for as long as tobacco remains the major cash crop coupled with power outages and unabated veld fires, which destroyed 30 850 hectares of woodlands, grasslands and plantations this fire season.
Tobacco farming is synonymous with serious environmental damage amid reports that thousands of hectares of forest are cut down each year for the cigarette industry.
Substantial amounts of indigenous trees like Mutondo, Mupfuti, Musasa and Muunze trees, which have become endangered species, are preferred wood-fuel because they are cheap and readily available in the communities, ignoring the ecological consequences.mFarmers must resort to other sources of fuel like coal, electricity or plantation wood-fuel that do not sponsor land degradation and deforestation in their respective communities.
To reverse impacts deforestation, massive tree planting is necessary and Manicaland targets to plant 2,5 million trees tree planting season through the involvement of schools, individuals and institutions.
