Online Reporter
Obert Chifamba
Agri-Insight
ONCE a common occurrence in such districts as Sanyati and Gokwe of Mashonaland West and Midlands provinces respectively, the enigmatic disappearances of male farmers just after selling crop produce have now either drastically fallen or no one is still keen to make noise about them.
Obviously, these disappearing stunts, left behind a trail of unanswered questions about financial accountability and other social dynamics.
In Sanyati, for instance, this recurring social issue historically linked to the cotton farming season involved men abandoning their homes for varying periods of time after receiving payment for their white gold.
They typically headed to urban centres or local growth points to spend their earnings on alcohol and boozing with ladies at popular leisure spots that have since then, been sprouting out in their numbers with each marketing season that comes.
The men only returned after exhausting their earnings on these reckless partying and boozing escapades that were done with women mostly. This behaviour has in most cases led to the breakdown of marriages and clashes with contractors, as farmers would fail to reinvest in the next season or honour debt obligations.
And given that the earnings are squandered in one fell swoop in these gadding sprees, families were left without capital to buy seed or fertiliser for the next season.
Justifiably so, this behaviour is often the most discussed and castigated each time there is talk about lack of financial literacy and the social impact of sudden cash windfalls in rural farming communities. This simply means that some farmers get overly excited once they get windfalls and forget that their earnings come once per year in most cases except when they have irrigation facilities to produce crops all-year-round.
In recent times, this trend had also extended its tentacles to the tobacco industry where men would camp and wait for delayed payments and only return home after they would have been paid. Of course, such scenarios were exacerbated by recurrent incidences of volatile economic patches that would make it difficult for merchants to pay farmers instantly.
Stories are told of how some of the farmers would end up getting robbed of all their earnings after getting into impulsive relationships with dishonesty women with unholy connections with thieves.
In some cases, the farmers reportedly got swindled out of their hard-earned cash when they started buying things on impulse.
Interestingly, the trend seems to be dying a natural death for both crops, tobacco and cotton – with many farmers now opting to travel with their spouses to the floors. Such an arrangement naturally brings about the advantage of shared responsibilities with couples dividing tasks based on their strengths, making the process more efficient.
Working together often leads to higher output and better management of time on the backdrop of better decision making, as two perspectives can lead to more informed decisions regarding pricing, marketing strategies, and crop selection. As a couple, the farmers can always look at priorities and save themselves from rushed buying where they end up spending on something that could ordinarily be bought some other time.
On the one hand, joint efforts can reduce transportation, marketing, and operational costs, improving profit margins and the two can also share challenges and successes of farming thereby strengthening their relationship and providing emotional encouragement for each other.
Naturally, couples can leverage each other’s connections, fostering relationships with buyers and suppliers. They can also easily collaborate in a development that allows for creative marketing strategies, such as joint sales events or social media campaigns.
The other advantage born out of the arrangement to go to the market as a couple is that each partner can learn from the other, enhancing their skills in farming, selling, and customer interaction. Such couples often become more engaged with their local communities, building a loyal customer base.
Working together also allows for greater flexibility in scheduling and adapting to market changes. It also enhances transparency because all decisions will be done in the presence of both parties and they can also rein in the urge to buy things they had not planned for.
Many farmers, especially those into tobacco, have fallen victim to the temptation to enjoy just a bit before going home the following day and in the process, they either lose all their earnings or even their lives.
Some have picked up disabilities from assaults they never imagined would happen to them.
And now, with the opening of the 2026 tobacco marketing season on the horizon, it may be necessary to see how the farmers coming to the floors will be going about their business. It will be exciting to note that most of them, if the latest showing is anything to go by, will be in twos – husband and wife.
