Tobacco farming early birds start reaping

Farmers with early irrigated tobacco have started reaping and curing in a season when the area under production has increased by 46 percent, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board has revealed.

The number of registered growers for the 2021 season has also increased by two percent.

TIMB latest statistics show that by December 18, area under both irrigated and dryland tobacco was 97 825 hectares while 66 798 hectares had been put under the crop during the corresponding period last year.

This season, farmers planted 13 647 hectares under irrigated tobacco compared to 14 724 hectares last year. For dryland, farmers planted 84 178 hectares for the 2020/21 season up from the 55 474 hectares that had been planted during the same period last year.

TIMB statistics also show that there has been an increase in the tobacco registration for the 2002/21 season.

So far, 143 690 famers have registered for tobacco compared to 41 169 same period last year.

The number of new growers declined by 77 percent from 7 394 last year to 1 715 this year. So far 77 925 communal farmers have registered for tobacco, 49 674 from the A1, 7 638 small scale and 8 453 A2 farmers.

According to TIMB, Mashonaland Central is leading with 50 297 farmers registered, Mashonaland West has 50 139, Manicaland 23 563 Midlands 235 and Masvingo 98.

While farmers with an irrigated crop have started reaping and curing those with dryland crop are still tending to the crop. The land crop is reported to be in good condition due to the current wet spell in most parts of the country.

Tobacco production has been on the increase due to favourable prices. The crop which used to be for the elite only is now being grown over 100 000 smallholder farmers.

The tobacco sector has remained resilient despite some challenges faced by the industry. The success of the tobacco industry has been attributed to Government policies, and the highly successful creation of a complex contract farming system overseen by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board.

The TIMB licenses both the tobacco companies, who put out the contracts, and the farmers who grow the crop, after insisting on checks and balances.-herald.cl.zw