Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter
SMALL-SCALE tobacco farmers have been urged to start repairing their barns to raise their capacity and technical efficiency to improve the quality of the crop.
Ngoni Chikerema, a prominent tobacco farmer, who is also the president of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Farmers Association (ZITOFA), called upon tobacco farmers to start repairing their barns ahead of the 2024/2025 farming season.
He urged farmers to use standard barns and shift to modern, innovative and energy-efficient curing barns.
“This is the right time for farmers to repair their barns. Those that have not started repairing their barns are planning to fail,” Chikerema said.
According to Chikerema, well-repaired barns contribute significantly to the production of high-quality tobacco.
“A farmer can have a very good crop in the fields but if that crop is not cured correctly, the resultant cured leaf will not fetch much on the market,” he said.
Thomas Guwu, the managing director of a company which offers tobacco insurance cover, echoed the same sentiments.
“At Quantum Multiple Agents, we always advise farmers to do the correct things. Having modern, efficient barns will result in the farmer realising profits,” Guwu said.
He advised farmers to install a cheap, modern V-slot curing system which uses less coal and wood.
In 2019, a local engineering firm, Mamsen Engineering, developed an energy-efficient Twin-Turbo tobacco curing barn that cuts energy bills for farmers and reduces the impact on the environment.
Research has shown that farmers who improved their barn systems also saw an improvement in the prices of their tobacco.
Improved barns also give reduced quantities of scrap material.
Online Reporter