Online Reporter
Obert Chifamba-Agri-Insight
WHILE other crop categories may be revelling in the current wet spell, the story is different for the tobacco farmer who is harvesting and curing his crop.
To him, the rains represent an uphill battle against nature’s whims highlighting the contrasting realities between a crop that thrives under tightly controlled conditions and those that can stand almost everything tossed in their direction except drought.
For the tobacco farmer currently seized with curing his crop, the very rain drops that nurture other crops become a formidable foe that must never be allowed access to the harvested leaves being cured in readiness for the market.
Overly wet conditions are known to cause excess moisture that can lead to fungal growth, especially moulds that can easily compromise the quality of the tobacco. Moisture also delays drying given that curing requires controlled humidity and temperatures. If anything, rains can easily disrupt this balance, making it difficult for the farmer to achieve the ideal drying conditions.
I have since noticed that most farmers from the dry land category who had an early crop are harvesting and curing their tobacco and it is these farmers that need to tread very carefully, as they go about the curing process in the wake of the rains. The bulk of them are smallholders who usually do not have adequate resources for general handling and storage of the crop after both harvesting and curing and would ordinarily be comfortable doing their job under friendly weather conditions.
It is a fact that excess moisture can lead to poor flavour development in the leaf. Tobacco that retains moisture can have off-flavours while the colour and texture may also be ruined making it less appealing for the market. Once this happens, the crop will fetch poor prices that leave the farmer impoverished instead of being economically empowered.
Besides ruining the quality of the leaf, rains may cause fungal infections if the tobacco becomes mouldy at some point. Mouldy tobacco can pose health risks for both farmers during handling and those who consume the eventual product.
On the one hand, allowing rains to access tobacco under curing has serious economic implications for the farmer, as it increases costs given that he will require additional resources for the drying process or treatment to prevent moulding. This, effectively escalates the costs of production, which will chew into the profits that the farmer was supposed to make.
The bottom line is that the market value of the crop immediately drops once it has poor quality picked up during curing, which can lead to lower sale prices for the crop. Persistent precipitation can also trigger labour challenges for the farmer, as it disrupts the timeline for harvesting and curing, impacting labour schedules and increasing the costs.
There are also safety risks that come with wet conditions. Such conditions naturally make handling equipment and performing field tasks more dangerous than using them when the weather is fair.
Rainy weather can also rear its ugly head when it causes infrastructure limitations especially considering that most curing facilities may not be designed to handle excess moisture adequately. This can exacerbate the problems faced during the curing process.
To ensure that their business ambitions are not derailed, farmers need to adapt strategies and technological solutions to mitigate the challenges caused by the hostile weather.
It is therefore advisable for them to employ several adaptation strategies to mitigate the effects of the rains during the curing process of the golden leaf.
Obviously, this requires them to improve their curing facilities and make sure they are weather resistant. This improvement inevitably comes with a cost, as the farmers must invest in well-ventilated curing barns with waterproof materials that protect tobacco from moisture.
They can also make use of climate-controlled curing facilities to regulate temperature and humidity regardless of external weather conditions. The other solution would be to use tarps or other waterproof coverings that shield curing racks from rain when not in use.
Farmers can also adopt portable curing systems that can be moved indoors or into cover during wet conditions while the employment of enhanced drying techniques may also be an option. This can be in the form of forced air systems that utilise fans or dehumidifiers to expedite drying when moisture levels are high.
This can, however, be a challenge for some of the smallholder farmers given that they usually struggle to raise cash for such miscellaneous expenses. It is unfortunate that most contractors do not avail finances for such contingencies. More than 90 percent of the smallholder farmers are producing tobacco under contract arrangements.
The other solution would be for them to introduce alternative heat sources (like propane heaters) to increase the temperature and facilitate drying, especially in humid conditions.
Of course, one of the simplest and cheapest solution would for farmers to make harvest time adjustments. By so doing, they just need to monitor weather patterns and adjust the timing of harvesting to ensure that tobacco is cut at an optimal moisture level.
It is also important for farmers to be prepared to adapt strategies that allow for quick harvesting and curing changes in response to weather forecasts. They can also make use of moisture measuring tools like hygrometers and moisture metres to closely monitor humidity levels in the curing environment.
The farmer must do frequent checks during the curing process to identify and address moisture issues promptly.
On another front, the farmer can also consider using fungicides as a preventive measure against mould growth, ensuring compliance with safety regulations. This chemical application must, however, not be done to excess, as it may easily overstep compliance regulations on health.
Farmers must also learn to get out of their shells and interact with others to get fresh ideas on dealing with such matters. They can also enrol for farmer education or training programmes, most of which are done for free but can leave them rich with knowledge. It pays for them to participate in training programmes that focus on best practices for curing tobacco in variable weather conditions.
Local extension officers are always available to assist farmers, hence the need for the former to reach out and request information. It is only a matter of collaborating with them for knowledge-sharing on effective techniques and experiences.
Those farmers who are not comfortable sharing information on situations they will be facing do not do themselves any favour but a huge disservice.
By implementing these strategies, they can better manage the challenges posed by rains during the curing process and maintain product quality, as well as economic viability.
They must always bear in mind that adaptation not only enhances resilience but also leads to more sustainable farming practices.
