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Precious Manomano-Herald Reporter
Sunflower is now seen as a major source of present and future vegetable oil needs, with the harvest likely to be 90 479 tonnes, more than eight times the 11 117 tonnes reaped last season, with most small-scale farmers able to boost production significantly if given more inputs.
The crop is not labour intensive, making it ideal for smaller family farms, with most families having at some stage been involved in growing sunflower as a cash crop, so knowing what to do and requiring only modest extra training from extension officers.
Zimbabwe produces, even with that huge increase in sunflower, only a little more than half its oil seed needs, and sunflower is now seen, after the success of the just-ended season, as one of the fastest ways to accelerate production to meet national requirements and then boost exports.
The contract farming programme was rolled out in Midlands and Manicaland, already the major producing provinces, but with the three Mashonaland provinces, the two Matabeleland provinces and Masvingo now included, as the programme aims at promoting easy market access for farmers.
This season, private sector contractors under the aegis of the Food Crop Contractors Association (FCCA) and United Refineries contracted for 86 677ha.
Under National Enhanced Agriculture Productivity Scheme (NEAPS) the crop was also funded by AFC.
Sunflower is an essential crop that has been produced in the country for ages, but production fell sharply as markets dried up when most oil expressers stressed soya beans, even when they had to import most of their requirements.
But now, the contractors and the Government are providing communal farmers with inputs to enable them to get involved in sunflower farming.
The Crop, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment report (CLAFA2) for the 2022/23 summer season from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development showed the dramatic results of joint action by the Government and the contractors.
Already, the harvest now being reaped will end imports of between 60 000 and 65 000 tonnes of crude sunflower oil from South Africa annually for purposes where other vegetable oils are less suited as a raw material.
Midlands province is the highest province produced 18 076 tonnes compared to 2 343 tonnes last season followed by Manicaland province with 16 926 tonnes compared to 1 504 tonnes produced last season.
In the past years, Mashonaland West Province was the major contributor of agricultural produce due to its favourable weather patterns and good soils.
This year it is back with a bang, with 16 274 tonnes compared to 1 930 tonnes last year, while Mashonaland East produced 14 220 tonnes compared to 2 435 in the previous year.
Soyabean production has also increased by 13 percent from 82 028 tonnes last season to 93 086 tonnes this season.
This is against a national requirement of 240 000 tonnes per year, but with further gains in cotton seed and sunflower the soya demand could be cut back if the other two oils increase at present rates.
The report also showed that groundnut production increased by 117 percent from 98 765 tonnes last season to 214 145 tonnes this season.
Mashonaland East was the leading province with 44 750 tonnes this season followed by Midlands with 43 915 tonnes followed by Mashonaland Central with 35 771 tonnes.
Zimbabwe Indigenous Women Farmers Association Trust president, Mrs Depinah Nkomo said it is crucial to consider traditional crops like sunflower because of their favourable returns.
“I encourage most farmers to grow traditional grains as they perform better than maize and grow even under drought. Sunflower offers good prices. We are also sure of enough oil if we prioritise these crops,” she said.
Mrs Nkomo said this year this crop was in a good condition adding that some farmers are likely to increase the hectares under these oil seeds in the next season.
Not much labour is required in the production of the crop.
Tobacco Farmers Union Trust vice president Mr Edward Dune said good agronomic practices are key to enhance productivity adding that crop rotation is crucial in farming.
He also said sunflowers are a valuable asset to both the farmer and the nation as they provide oil and livestock feed.
“They can be used in the manufacturing of edible oil, livestock feed and confectionery products. Sunflower cooking oil is of greater quality compared to oil from soya and cotton with the crop also ranking as one of the easiest to produce,” he said.
All communal farmers will be soon be required to venture into sunflower farming.
Online Reporter