TRB to increase productivity levels

Rutendo Gomwe Herald Correspondent

The Tobacco Research Board (TRB) has a role to play in the value chain transformation strategy in fostering National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and Vision 2030 agenda, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Dr John Basera has said.

Speaking during the tour of TRB in Harare recently, Mr Basera said it was fundamental to increase productivity through research.

“Research plays a significant role, it gives an opportunity to leapfrog technology-wise in terms of upscaling productivity levels, the moment we increase productivity levels by 10 percentage we stand a chance to reduce poverty by seven percentage.

“The tobacco transformation strategy entails the three Ps that is production, productivity and profitability across the chain, In line with the Vision 2030 agenda which entails living no one, no region and geography behind we can now produce tobacco in the dry most parts of the country, we look forward to commercialising technologies under research”, he said.

“More fundamentally we also discussed on how to close the gap between research yields and actual farmer yields that will carry the day in terms of paying the bill to our journey towards the vision 2030 at social and household, economic and business level, the best way to close the gap is through upscaled agronomic research and awareness especially throughout the small holder sector and large scale sector”

He said the tobacco value transformation strategy is indeed in motion and is on the rolls.

“We are going for growth in terms of that respect especially research oriented, research on tobacco alternative crops that is industrial hemp, sweet potatoes and services like tissue culture technology, molecular marker assisted breeding technologies to fast track release of varieties this will power our journey towards vision 2030.”

“Research will have a role to play, it is part of our journey and part of solutions to our problems in regards to reduced production level and profitability level”, he said.