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Edgar Vhera Agriculture Specialist Writer
THE Tobacco Research Board (TRB) is rolling out agro-forestry and afforestation initiatives around the country, which are part of the efforts to re-generate the ecosystem to manageable and sustainable levels after years of degradation due to various human activities.
TRB chief executive Dr Frank Magama revealed this during the launch of the project that is happening courtesy at the board’s corporate social investment portfolio in Harare recently.
“From November 11 to December 11, TRB has disbursed over 13 hectares of gumtree seedlings in Manicaland, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, and Mashonaland Central provinces. Today, we are investing in 10 hectares of gumtree seedlings, 500 grafted hass avocado plants and over 100 orange and lemon plants.
“The agroforestry and afforestation projects are also being replicated at other TRB major sites at Banket and Oriental Masvingo stations,” said Dr Magama.
Dr Magama further revealed that 80 grafted hass avocado, 36 mangoes, 29 jacarandas and a hectare of eucalyptus trees would be established at Banket station while 60 mango, 45 guava, 22 peach, 28 mulberry, 102 avocado and 45 jacaranda trees would be established at Oriental Masvingo station.
Although he admitted that the closing of schools closure and the forthcoming festive season would slow their progress, Dr Magama, said they would continue with it shortly afterwards to guarantee sustainable tobacco production in Zimbabwe.
The agroforestry project that involves planting trees alongside crops will see farmers growing crops such as peanuts, beans, cow peas among others in the spaces between fruit and commercial trees on a rotational basis.
In addition to deriving commercial value from the land, the agroforestry science will help in the fixation and preservation of soil nutrients in the ecosystem.
Additionally, TRB envisages a situation in which gumtree wood will be sold to interested farmers for tobacco curing while the fruits will contribute to business development and marketing initiatives including the export of hass avocadoes.
The citrus trees and other fruit trees will cater for employees’ requirements during wellness programmes.
TRB is also involved in other sustainability programmes, for instance, research on tobacco curing alternatives such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), solar, bana grass and sawdust briquettes, electricity, use of exotic tree species to complement the eucalyptus and many others.
Tree planting is mandatory for all tobacco growers, according to Statutory Instrument 116 of 2012, that says: “For every three hectares of tobacco farmed, one hectare of trees shall be planted.”
These initiatives come against the backdrop of high levels of deforestation, as tobacco producers cut indigenous trees to use for tobacco curing. The Global Forest Watch (GFW) has since estimated that Zimbabwe lost 9, 05 kilo hectares of tree cover in 2021.
The Government in 2021 came up with the tobacco value chain transformation plan (TVCTP), which sought to achieve a US$5 billion industry through sustainable intensification of tobacco production to 300 million kilogrammes with TRB expected to play a very crucial role in the programme.
Online Reporter