Online Reporter
Muchaneta Chimuka
Herald Reporter
MORE than a decade of farming experience is paying dividends for Goromonzi farmer Mr Charles Nyandoro, who is expecting a bumper harvest from his horticulture project.
He has one hectare under onions, half a hectare of carrots, cabbages, and peas and is expecting to harvest 80 tonnes of onions, 30 000 heads of cabbages, tonnes of carrots, and seven tonnes of peas.
He produces for local and export markets in line with the National Development Strategy 2 and Vision 2030 of transforming Zimbabwe into an Upper-Middle Income Society.
He shared his story with several farmers and students from agricultural colleges who converged at his farm in Arcturus in Goromonzi District, Mashonaland East Province on Wednesday for a horticulture field day organised by Seed Co.
“I started this as a hobby while growing herbs for fun; now I’m into serious business, heading towards being a big commercial farmer, and with these rich red soils I can make it,” he said.
“ I am earning a decent living. I sell some of my produce locally and in Mozambique,” he said.
“Horticulture products have a ready market; hence, it is a lucrative business that everyone should take up, even at the household level.”
Mr Nyandoro, who employs 16 workers said funding can be a challenge, but for him all profits are ploughed back into the venture.
“Funding is also an impediment; however, I am using my profits to buy some of the inputs. I have 10,5 ha of potatoes and I am expecting US$250 000 from the crop,” he said.
“Mbare Musika vendors are my major clients. This year I put 10.5ha of cabbages, which I sold to vendors from Mbare and Mozambique clients and realised US$100 000.
“I do not have transport costs for my products because most of my clients are walk-ins; they do come here and harvest.
“I managed to buy a 95-horsepower New Holland tractor, disk harrow, potato lifter and ridger, line maker for maize, maize and soya seed drill from the proceeds. I hope to expand by project and procure a monosemy planter and a roller-ripper, among others.”
He uses a sprinkler irrigation system, and the water is harnessed from a local dam; it travels to his land by gravity, enabling him to grow various crops throughout the year.
He said his major challenge is crop diseases, which he manages through the use of approved pesticides with support from the Seed Co technical team.
Seed Co product development officer Mr Brian Nyandoro said farmers should follow instructions when planting and applying pesticides so that they don’t lose access to international markets.
He urged them to use short-season varieties in the wake of climate change and the much-predicted El Niño-induced drought for the 2026 – 27 farming seasons.
“As Seed Co, we have launched new seed varieties which are drought- and disease-tolerant,” he said.
“We have early short–day hybrid onions which mature within 85 – 90 days and provide high yields of 60 – 70 tonnes per hectare under good management, and they have a storage life of 4 – 5 months.
“Other onions that we have include Soberana F1, Shani, and Chelsea F1, which mature in 12 – 17 weeks.”
