adminSamuel Kadungure Farming Reporter
TOBACCO reaping is in full throttle in Manicaland as commercial farmers are busy harvesting the irrigated crop and now use the new low-cost curing tunnels known for enhancing the quality of the golden leaf.
Tunnels are fairly unique on the market due to the low power consumption, low coal consumption and use of traditional curing techniques recommended for a long low barn as opposed to a chongololo.
The tunnel system is very efficient in terms of energy usage as it uses 700g of coal to cure one kilogramme of tobacco compared to other conventional curing methods that take up to five kilogramme of coal to treat a kilogramme of the crop.
However, many growers cannot afford tunnels as the smallest unit that can hold up to 16 hectares of tobacco costs $250 000. Such prohibitive costs have put to the fore the need to find ways of producing low cost tunnels for small-scale farmers since the tunnel system is believed to be the best way to go for farmers who know that quality of tobacco matters.
On a positive note, the farmers admitted having been spared of power cuts that characterised previous harvesting seasons. Flue-cured tobacco is an energy-intensive crop, among other onerous requirements for its production.
Though the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority does not have the capacity to import adequate electricity, efforts have been made to cushion critical sectors through the importation of an additional 300MW from South Africa.
The provincial Agritex head, Mr Godfrey Mamhare, on Wednesday, said several commercial farmers in Odzi, Headlands, Rusape and Nyazura were at an advanced stage of reaping.
Some started in November 2015.
Dry land tobacco in most small-scale communities is at the vegetative stage, but is showing severe signs of moisture stress which might compromise its quality if the current dry spell persists.
“The irrigated crop is in better shape, but we are worried about the dry land crop which is showing severe signs of moisture stress. Most commercial farmers are at the advanced stage of harvesting and the quality of the leaf is good,” said Mr Mamhare.
“It is also encouraging that a number of these farmers have invested in the new curing technology of tobacco tunnels which is an advanced curing and energy efficient system,” said Mr Mamhare.
“The tunnel system enhances quality of the leaf, though it ultimately results on other factors such as the quality of the green leaf, curing temperature, offloading and storage,” said Mr Mamhare.
Tobacco Association of Zimbabwe president, Mr David Guy Mutasa, said he started harvesting two weeks ago.
“We have 35 hectares and we are reaping the first 20ha, the other 15ha will be ready for reaping at the end of January. We are not encountering any curing challenges.
“Our only fear is that if we receive rains now all the tobacco that was ripening due to lack of water will be green again as it starts using the ammonium nitrate currently dormant in the soil. This will disturb the harvesting schedule,” said Mr Mutasa.
Mr Mutasa is also using the tunnel system.
Mr Grant Hoffmeir, who is leasing Moreson Farm belonging to Mrs Sipiwe Chimonyo started harvesting in November 2015.
He has 170ha under irrigation.
“We started reaping in November 2015 and we are using tunnels to cure the golden leaf. So far things are going according to plan, we cannot complain,” said a source at the farm.
Mr Graeme Chadwick, who rents several farms in Headlands, Retired Lieutenant General Mike Nyambuya (Alma Farm) Odzi, Mr Dippopulous (Suncrest) Odzi, Mr Ernest Ginjika (Rusape), Mr Denford Mutwiwa, of Mutwiwa Farm (Headlands) and Mr Lovemore Gijima Msindo (Gijima Farm) Headlands have started reaping.
Mr Mutwiwa is also using the tunnel system.
Tobacco production in Manicaland plummeted as an estimated 25 percent of tobacco farmers have abandoned the crop this season after being pushed out of business following a disastrous 2014 /15 season.
Manicaland has 3 572 growers under A1, 545 growers under A2, 2 678 growers under communal and 689 small- scale. The province has a total of 7 484, down from 12 946 farmers registered during the 2014 /15 season. This leaves the province with yawning variance of 42 percent.
A total of 20 961 A1 farmers were registered across the country, with 4 584 registered under A2, 27 534 growers registered under communal and 4 413 registered as small-scale farmers, giving a grand total of 57 492 against 76 545 who took up gold leaf production during the 2014 /15 season.
About 9 983 new farmers were registered for the 2015 /16 season as compared to 15 278 registered last year in a similar period.
Agriculture experts also blamed the obtaining harsh economic environment for pushing farmers out of business.
They argued that there was need for Government to provide an enabling environment through clear policy goals and commensurate investments in infrastructure, mechanisation, training, education and information, while the private sector and development partners chip in and assist with the financial resources as well as ensure the availability and distribution of inputs at fair prices as closer to the farmers as possible.
Absence of these will continue inflicting the farming sector.
Tobacco farming is synonymous with serious environmental damage amid reports that thousands of hectares of forest are cut down each year for the cigarette industry.
Substantial amounts of indigenous trees like mutondo, mupfuti, musasa and muunze trees, which have become endangered species, are preferred wood-fuel because they are cheap and readily available in the communities, ignoring the ecological consequences.
Environmentalists are urging farmers to join the Hwange Colliery Company programme on the use of coal in curing the golden leaf to assist in the conservation of indigenous trees, which are under threat from massive deforestation, in their areas.
Under the programme initiated by the coal mining giant, farmers benefited from coal availed by rural district councils at subsidised prices to ensure viability.
Apart from conserving the forests, coal cured tobacco is said to have a better quality compared to the crop cured using fire-wood.
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