Chronicle Editor
Tapuwa Mashangwa
THE Biblical parable of the eight talents is about a rich man who divided eight talents among three of his workers before he set off on his journey. Upon his return, he inquired about what the workers had done with the talents, two of them had doubled their talents and one had buried it. He took the one talent from the one who had buried it and gave it to the one who now had 10 talents.
In agriculture there now exists what one can coin wilderness opportunities, these are a combination of untapped agricultural production systems and markets that some Zimbabwean farmers are oblivious of and others will not do anything about.
Farming nuts may seem trivial but there are huge returns. The market end consumers of agricultural produce are low class, middle class and upper class individuals that all have money to spend on various commodities. Today there are some nuts sold in supermarkets, which when one looks at, they simply walk away cognisant that they cannot afford to spend such.
One can simply check the prices of macadamia nuts in shops to confirm the high prices. Despite this expense, for the farmer this should be instead seen as an opportunity. It means that globally there is a shortage of the product.
Almost always when prices are high for any produce it usually means that there is high demand for that product and that is a market to tap into.
The most popular international commercially produced nuts are; almond, cashew, chestnut, coconut, hazelnut, macadamia, peanut, pecan, pine nut, pistachio and the walnut.
There are other producible nuts and other nut varieties within the nuts listed. So the market is there and just waiting for farmers to take up the opportunity.
Like most fruit trees, it takes time to get returns for some nut trees but the patience is worth the wait. And no one ever said to farmers “plant nut trees on the whole farm”.
For those whose income solely depends on farming it would not be advisable. So the best method to follow is to simply utilise a portion of the farm to grow nuts.
Which variety to grow?
The list is endless. In Zimbabwe there are a number of nurseries that are selling seedlings for various nuts and a variety of not so popular fruit trees. A time is coming soon when more Zimbabwean farmers are going to be multi-millionaires. The agricultural sector that so many shy away from is an unchartered territory, where the brave, courageous, knowledgeable, advisable and proactive will be legends of success.
Right now in South Africa a bag of macadamias fetches up to R1 000, which is about US$70. One macadamia nut tree can produce about 100kg of macadamia nuts. Imagine the profits, I will let you do the maths and like that is not enough they remain productive for around 30 years. As I have always said and advised farmers, stop farming the same things.
There are so many high value crops and produce farmers can engage themselves in instead of battling and lamenting over the prices and a market for tomatoes, cabbages, onions etcetera.
The 21st century farmer has the biggest advantage in comparison to farmers of other centuries. This is because the 21st century farmer has information easily and readily available at the tip of his or her fingers.
Information is accessible over the internet via mobile phones and various media platforms such as Whatsapp, Facebook and company websites.
Not only that, the 21st century farmer has cheap access to market logistics companies, agribusiness consultants and other experts in the field.
So many individuals tend to believe that individuals that conduct training for farmers and charge for consultancy services or market logistics companies rob them, yet these individuals are experts trying to help them make more money and run their farming enterprises more efficiently, effectively and professionally. The farming sector becomes progressive when all those involved play their role and do their part, appreciating and assisting their sector colleagues attain the best results.
A few years ago I wrote an article about the agro-processing industry and diversifying farming produce. Now if anyone can walk into any supermarket and look at our “made in Zimbabwe” product range it is noticeable that it is growing.
While other farmers complain, others adapt and walk out of the banks smiling. Many products and services are readily available for farmers yet there is a refusal to adapt and change. It is also acceptable as at the end of the day as every individual has a right to do what they want to.
The writer is Eng Tapuwa Justice Mashangwa, Chief Consultant at Emerald Agribusiness Consultancy based in Bulawayo. He can be contacted on +263771641714 and email; [email protected]
Online Reporter