adminSenior Farming Reporter
THOUSANDS of tobacco farmers in Manicaland are on a collision course with the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board for failing to adhere to the statutory stalk destruction and tobacco nursery sowing deadlines. The tobacco stalks destruction deadline was May 15, and a survey in Manicaland has revealed that very few farmers had complied with the Plant Pests and Diseases Act (Chapter 19: 08) which requires all farmers to have cleared their fields of tobacco stalks by May 15 of every year.
Some farmers had not finished reaping, while those that had were busy grading and bailing their golden leaf were struggling or failing to divide time between the pressing pre-selling requisites and the statutory requirements.
Most of the farmers, especially the smallholder ones, who lack irrigation facilities have also missed out on the earliest date for sowing seed — which is June 1.
The seedlings will on the earliest, be transplanted as from September 1.
All seedbeds should be destroyed by December 31 — deadline often missed by many smallholder farmers who would be busy with transplanting.
Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union president, Mr Abudul Nyathi, on Wednesday confirmed that many farmers had missed on the two deadlines.
He blamed their conduct on ignorance.
“Compliance by indigenous farmers is lacking. The issue is that these farmers lack proper knowledge. They have not been grilled through the mill. We have to seriously probe what has caused these farmers to reach this period without destroying tobacco stalks for the just-ended season.
“As ZFU, we have engaged TIMB and Agritex so that we would come up with a joint in-field training targeted at tobacco farmers so that they can appreciate the essence of time frames or deadlines. We are optimistic about the impact that the training programme will have because the crop belongs to the farmer, it is the farmer’s business and they should appreciate training,” said Mr Nyathi.
His counterpart and Tobacco Association of Zimbabwe president, Mr David Guy Mutasa, said some farmers had not finished harvesting the late planted crop.
Mr Mutasa, however, maintained those farmers who have not cleared their fields of stalks must have applied for an extension otherwise they would be ticketed.
“I know of several farmers who are still reaping, while others have deliberately reneged on the stalk destruction. They must have applied for extension,” said Mr Mutasa, adding that several commercial farmers had complied and were busy irrigating their nurseries.
“Those farmers with irrigation facilities have planted and are tendering their seedbeds. In some cases, the seedlings have germinated,” said Mr Mutasa.
May 15 was imposed as the deadline for the destruction of tobacco residue to help minimise carryover of diseases and pests from one year to the next.
Tobacco re-growths can be effectively destroyed by spraying glyphosphate.
The delay has raised serious and genuine fears on the possibility of the passing-on of pests and disease into the 2015/16 tobacco season.
The most effective control is to destroy stalks immediately after harvesting.
The major reason for poor crop residue destruction is poor supervision and monitoring by TIMB.
The fines imposed are too low to dissuade farmers from violating the statutory requirement while some farmers complain that the process was expensive. Some of the reasons for inaction include the desire for an undisturbed soil surface to prevent soil erosion while were prepared to risk prosecution because other operations had a higher priority at the time.
However, the danger is that non-compliance by one farmer can affect the next compliant farmer.
Slashing tobacco stalks and spraying the subsequent re-growth with glyphosphate was effective, but many farmers complain that it was expensive.
For the offence, a first offender risks being penalised $100 per hectare or imprisonment for a year or both.
A second offender faces double the penalty and jail term.
The Zimbabwe Tobacco Association has warned all tobacco growers under its armpit against violating the provisions of Plant Pests and Diseases Act [Chapter 19:08] which requires that all tobacco stalks be destroyed by May 15 of every year.
“Destruction of stalks helps to reduce carryover of diseases and pests. This is most effective when tobacco stalks are destroyed immediately after the final harvest.
“Tobacco growers who fail to destroy tobacco stalks should be reported to Department of Research and Specialist Services (Plant Quarantine Services Institute), AGRITEX, Tobacco Research Board (TRB) or TIMB.
Reports can be made at TIMB regional offices located in Bindura, Mvurwi, Chinhoyi, Karoi, Marondera and Rusape,” said ZTA on its website.
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