adminAgriculture Reporter
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 with statistics showing that only 57 492 farmers out of 76 545 farmers had registered. Most farmers last year converted their maize fields to tobacco, but their hopes of getting a return of their investment were extinguished after racking up huge losses due to a poor season characterised climate change induced drought and lower prices offered at the auction floors.
The ever nose-diving prices had a serious impact on the pockets of farmers and drowned them in serious debts, as banks kept demanding their money back, leaving them in a quandary that forced some of them to sell their valuables to offset ballooning debts. Irrigated tobacco planting started on September 1.
The latest statistics from the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) revealed that 57 492 growers have registered for 2015 /16 season as compared to 76 545 growers who had registered in a corresponding period in the prior year. New registration for 2015 /16 stands at 9 983 as compared to 15 278 last year in a similar period.
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.
Mashonaland Central has 7685 growers under A1, 1 335 under A2, 9 900 being communal farmers and 1 552 being small scale farmers. It has a total of 20 472 farmers, which is a 12 percent decline from the 23 276 growers who took up the crop in the 2014 /15 season.
Mashonaland East has 3 510 tobacco growers under A1, 966 under A2, 2 451being communal farmers and 807 small scale farmers. The province has a total of 7 734 tobacco growers — which marks a 43 percent decline in uptake when compared to the 13 669 farmers who grew tobacco during the 2014 /15 season.
Mashonaland West has 6117 under A1, 1 710 under A2, 12 316 under communal and 1 347 small scale farmers, giving the province a total of 21 490 tobacco growers. In 2-014 /15 season the province had 25 896 registered tobacco farmers, which reflects a variance of 17 percent.
Masvingo has 26 tobacco growers under A1, seven under A2, 49 communal farmers and eight small scale farmers, which leaves the province with 90 tobacco farmers against 330 farmers who grew the crop last year. This gave the province a negative variance of 73 percent.
Matabeleland region has the least number of tobacco growers as only three, out of the 12, who took up the gold leaf production last year, were registered, creating a variance of 75 percent. Midlands has 50 tobacco growers under A1, 19 under A2, 140 communal farmers and 10 small scale farmers totalling 219 against 416 who took up the crop last year. This gave the province a variance of 47 percent.
A total of 20961 A1 farmers were registered across the country, with 4584 registered under A2, 27 534 growers registered under communal and 4413 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. In a trade update, TIMB said tobacco exports have earned the country $500 million compared to $406 million last year. Zimbabwe had exported 102,3 million kg of tobacco at an average price of $4,90 per kg compared to 79 million kg at $5,14 per kg last year.
China has bought 26,3 million kg of the leaf at an average price of $8,14 per kg totalling $214,4 million. Belgium last year’s biggest buyer of the Zimbabwe’s tobacco last year has so far bought 12 million kg worth $50,3 million at an average price of $4,17 per kg. Neighbouring South Africa bought 10 million kg worth $30,8 million at $3,08 per kg.
TIMB said the country had realised a 32 percent fall in tobacco imports to 1,8 million kg from 7,6 million kg last year. Zambia remained the main source of tobacco imports which are used for blending purposes by local manufacturers supplying the country 919 800kg at an average price of $1,49 per kg valued at $1,3 million. Imports from India totalled 305 529 kg at an average price of $4,61 valued at $1,4 million.
Online Reporter