IN a forestry-friendly twist to an age-old process, tobacco farmers in Matabeleland have turned to a novel innovation — the Marula barn to cure their tobacco naturally without using firewood or coal, as they push to save forests, improve crop quality and lower production costs as well.
The Marula barn is an enclosed, transparent ultra-violet poly structure that captures heat and sunshine to cure tobacco while protecting the tobacco leaves from rain. It was designed in the Matabeleland region as a way of curbing deforestation linked to wood curing while harnessing the efficacy of a natural air-curing system that improves the quality of natural cured Virginia (NCV) and Burley tobacco.
Marula barns use heat and sunlight to cure tobacco naturally inside a fully enclosed, rain-shielded structure.
Named after Marula in Matabeleland, where it was developed, the barn is made from material that traps heat and sunlight while shielding the crop from rain and allowing the golden leaf to cure naturally without firewood or coal.
The system, which is being promoted by NCV tobacco contractor Atlas Agri and the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), has also been embraced by smallholder, A1 and commercial farmers.
According to farmers and officials, the innovation is improving tobacco quality and offering a sustainable alternative to wood-based curing, which has long been identified as a major driver of deforestation in tobacco-growing areas.
Atlas Agri supplies materials for constructing the barns.
Farmers in Marula said the Marula Barn was both viable and cheaper than conventional methods.
Atlas Agri Regional supervisor for Matabeleland, Mr Rodreck Musiyiwa, said the barn enabled farmers to reduce production costs.
“This is an innovation that helps farmers to produce the crop sustainably. The system is not labour-intensive, and even an elderly person can operate the barn,” he said.
NCV is produced in the same way as flue-cured tobacco, with the curing process the only difference.
NCV uses sunlight and air. What is important is for the farmer to use the barn correctly.
Farmers using the barns reported challenges with air circulation but said the introduction of fans could improve performance.
TIMB is working with Lupane State University to perfect the technology and plans to engage other organisations, such as Kutsaga to design appropriate fans for the barns.
Small-scale farmer Mr Reed Sola of Plot 32, Wolendale Farm, Umguza District, described the Marula barn as a good initiative that could boost the crop’s competitiveness on the market.
The debutante tobacco grower said he was happy to be producing tobacco in an area that had never produced the elite crop.
“I planted one hectare and am expecting between 1 000 and 1 200kg of the crop. I hope the crop will fetch viable prices,” he said.
Commercial NCV farmer, Mr Gary Rosenvale, said it was possible to grow tobacco in Matabeleland and the adoption of the crop in Marula was actually for the second time after it was last grown during the UDI.
“From the trials, we could figure out that tobacco does grow in Matabeleland. We do not have the humidity that is available in Mashonaland,” he said, adding that the heavy rains received this season presented challenges.
“We have had nearly 900mm of rain, which is unusual for us in Matabeleland. We normally get between 450 and 500mm of rain, so that in itself, as you know, brought a lot of challenges for the crop through fast ripening things like that, which caught me by surprise to a certain degree.
“The challenge then was to decide or learn how to use these barns. I needed 30 of these barns, loading 900 strings per bond.
“Our other challenge was that the top of the bonds was reaching temperatures of 65 degrees, which is almost like a conventional bond, although we only have the daylight hours for that to happen.
“The midrib can take a little bit longer, you know, from the top of the plant. But generally we were getting, and we were getting very nice coloured, lemon coloured tobacco coming out of the top tier and most of the second tier,” he said.
A1 farmer, Mr Rueben Khumalo of Greenfields Farm, who grew tobacco for the second time, said he was expecting 3 000kg of NCV from his two-hectare plot. He harvested 1 000kg from one hectare in the first year and said tobacco had the potential to improve rural livelihoods.
“Tobacco is a lucrative crop and has the potential to improve livelihoods.
“I am happy to be participating in tobacco production, it is a highly paying crop. I express gratitude to His Excellency President Mnangagwa for empowerment projects that are important in the realisation of Vision 2030. I now have irrigation and plan to increase production.”-herald
