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Precious Manomano Herald Reporter
So far almost 52 000 growers have registered with the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board ( TIMB) with small-scale growers in communal lands, A1 and small-scale commercial sectors continuing to dominate the lists after harvesting a record tobacco crop of 298 million kg in the last season.
Irrigated tobacco planting is in full swing in most areas while the rain-fed crop will be transplanted beginning mid-October or as soon as reasonable rains have fallen.
Dryland farmers are currently putting final touches such as discing, ridging, fertilisation and chemical dressing of plant stations, hardening of seedlings on seedbeds, herbicides are also being sprayed.
Stakeholders in the tobacco sector have attributed the increase in the number of tobacco growers to favourable prices offered during this year’s marketing season on the auction floors, which set the prices, and by the contractors, who fund the bulk of the crop and take delivery of it.
All farmers, from those on the smallest scale up to the major commercial growers must register, along with all merchants and all contractors, and the numbers have been rising over the years since 2009.
TIMB has also licenced six new contractors who are coming on-board for the new season to increase the number of tobacco financiers for this season.
The organisation’s public relations officer Mrs Chelesani Tsarwe has encouraged registered growers to renew their grower numbers and the first-time growers to apply at the TIMB Regional offices in Marondera, Mutare, Rusape, Mvurwi, Bindura, Chinhoyi and Karoi.
“The 2023/24 tobacco season is progressing well. Currently, a total of 98 217 hectares of seed bed area has been sown this is in comparison to 84 985 hectares sown during the same period last year.
“September 1 marked the earliest date for planting of irrigated tobacco. Currently, growers are discing and preparing ridges for the transplanting of hardened seedlings,”he said.
TIMB has also added shisha tobacco, another cash crop, to the stable of tobacco varieties with the first commercial batch of the crop grown last season.
Mrs Tsarwe indicated that for the new season, 4 390 grams of shisha tobacco seed, enough to plant 549 hectares, has been disbursed to growers and they are working on seedbeds.
In line with the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan which seeks to increase tobacco value addition and beneficiation, shisha tobacco will be processed locally and there are lucrative markets for this variety across Africa and Europe. It is a thin leaf although flue cured that is processed for pipes that draw the smoke through water.
TIMB has put in place some key strategies to tackle the issues of misinvoicing and transfer pricing that have been negatively impacting the tobacco industry.
Among the strategies is the compliance administrative framework that was implemented in 2021 and the setting up of a new compliance administration department.
The former framework is there to ensure all contracting companies fund farmers with inputs that are within the approved cost ranges as guided by the prevailing input costs as set by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
Mrs Tsarwe also indicated that before contracting commences, all interested companies should submit their commitment documents which show their capacity to contract for the season which includes proof of funding, unit cost of inputs to be given to farmers and the interest component to be charged.
She added that such commitment documents are then vetted by their Compliance and Licensing Committee that will inspect all contractors and if any are found in violation of the board’s compliance standards such will be rejected and no approval for contracting farmers will be given.
“Only those who have passed the board’s vetting process will be approved to contract farmers. With such in place, the board has no room that allows for growers to be shortchanged through transfer pricing, misinvoicing among other issues,’’ she said.
The board is also looking ahead to a productive and fruitful tobacco season surpassing the current records.
Tobacco Farmers Union Trust president, Mr Victor Mariranyika confirmed that farmers have started transplanting tobacco from the seedbed to the field adding that there is a need to expand the production in order to surpass last season’s output.
“Farmers have enough equipment and water to ensure the success of the crop. Farmers are currently planting irrigated tobacco. Last season was a good season and we also anticipate another brighter season, but I urge farmers to expand their hectares,” he said.
Mrs Charity Munaiwa of Banket said farmers were geared to embark on the new season, adding that they were busy attending to various issues such as wheat, gardening and monitoring tobacco seedbeds. “We are excited that the new season has begun, but this is a stressful period because of various duties which all need attention at the same time,” she said.
Mr Tawanda Marembo of Raffingora also mentioned that all his wealth emanated from growing tobacco.
“I started growing tobacco in 2018 but l can tell you that l bought a car, tractor and l built a nice house in Chinhoyi. Tobacco pays if good agronomic practises are implemented.
“This crop has transformed my life and l pledge to continue growing tobacco. Other crops are paying but tobacco has proved to be the biggest paying crop,” he said.
In Zimbabwe, tobacco is grown under irrigation in September planting or as rain fed between October and December. Most small scale growers exclusively produce dry land tobacco, while some larger commercial farmers produce irrigated crops.
Tobacco production has been on the increase in the past years and this season, farmers are forecasting an increase in production. Industry and the Government see the bulk of improved production coming from the smallholder farmers who now dominate the growers.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development has also introduced the Tobacco Transformation Plan, which is aimed at boosting production through local funding. This is to ensure that at least more of the larger commercial growers can use the auctions, rather than contracts, and so ensure that the auction floors continue to function efficiently and set proper market prices for all grades.
On average the country is currently earning between US$800 million and US$1 billion annually from tobacco exports, with about two thirds ending up in farmer’s hands and the rest earned by the merchants who do the initial processing, the final grading and ensure that the final buyers get exactly what they are looking for.
Tobacco is ranked as one of the most economically important non-food crops in Zimbabwe, earning billions in local currency equivalent annually.
The growing of the crop contributes significantly to improving the livelihoods of many people, from farmers in the main tobacco areas, to the merchants and to the processing done locally before the leaf is exported.
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