UK-based dentist transforms Somabula land, eyes export market

A UNITED Kingdom-based dentist, Dr Shamiso Ketani (54) has transformed his 210-hectare piece of land in Somabula near Gweru in the Midlands Province into a thriving farming project, specialising in Beauregard sweet potatoes and is eyeing the export market.

Beauregard sweet potatoes are large in size with a uniform, oblong to an elliptical shape, slightly tapering to small points on both ends.

The long tuber has semi-smooth skin that ranges in colour from copper, red-brown, to purple-brown, and is firm with a few shallow divots and markings. Underneath the surface, the dark orange flesh is dense, moist and fine-grained.

When cooked, Beauregard sweet potatoes develop a tender, soft and creamy consistency with a sweet and slightly nutty flavour.
Beauregard sweet potatoes are best suited for cooked applications such as baking, frying, boiling, steaming, pureeing and mashing.

The fine-grained tuber has a smooth and tender consistency when cooked, which allows it to be used in a wide variety of culinary applications such as in pies, muffins, bread, crescent rolls and casseroles.

The shift towards more traditional foods has seen a huge demand for these crops which are rich in natural sugars. Sweet potatoes are adaptable to traditional farming systems, drought tolerant, perform well in relatively poor soils and have low labour requirements.

They also require little attention due to their aggressive growth habits, mature early, are easy to cultivate and process.
Dr Ketani said his target market for the sweet potatoes is Dubai.

“We have planted Beauregard sweet potatoes at our plot in Somabula and the produce is earmarked for the export market. The crop is progressing well in the field in about 60 -70 days from now we will be harvesting,” he said.

Dr Ketani said after harvesting the crop, the buyer from Dubai will have a sample of the crop.
“If the buyer is satisfied then we will get an off-take agreement which will then indicate how much sweet potatoes he wants. We will then grow based on what we would have agreed on in terms of quantity and price,” he said.

Dr Ketani said they have been working on developing the seed since last year.

“I am working with Bolton Compliance Group. We have a buyer from Dubai and if he loves the crop, it will be an opening for local farmers to start growing this kind of sweet potato for export,” he said.

Dr Ketani said the crop is at the propagation stage.
“Propagation is a process of multiplying the planting cuttings to increase them so that we are able to plant a bigger hectarage. By August, we want to have more vines (cuttings) to plant on a bigger commercial area if the buyer is happy,” he said.

Dr Ketani said the Beauregard variety is a new crop in Zimbabwe that has the potential of earning the country foreign currency if exported in huge quantities.

“If we are able to secure the market, we are going to work with other farmers as out-growers in order to meet the demand for the markets in Europe as well. Recently ZimTrade was in Germany at the Fruit Logistica Fair and from what I read, there was some strong interest in sweet potatoes,” he said.

Dr Ketani said he has drip irrigation but also cultivates crops during summer, taking advantage of the rains.
“We need a lot of funding to mechanise our operations. At the moment we rely on hiring tractors and implements. We also intend to develop our irrigation system because we want to make farming a business.”

Dr Ketani, who left the country in 2001, said he is investing in farming as he prepares to return home.
“I am based in the UK for now working as a dentist but with the emergence of export-oriented production, which I am working on, I will be relocating and direct operations from Zimbabwe once we penetrate the export market,” he said.

“This sweet potato variety is being used to make sweet potato chips in European and American restaurants. It is a seasonal crop but Zimbabwe has got the perfect climate to grow it almost all year round.”

Beauregard sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamins C and E and contain iron, fibre, and potassium.
Dr Ketani said he developed a passion for farming at a young age.

“I did my primary education in Chiredzi at Shingayi Primary School from 1977 to 1983 then my secondary school at Chiredzi Christian Secondary School from 1984 to 1987. I had a strong interest in agriculture as a subject and I excelled in it,” he said.

Dr Ketani said he was forced to drop out of school when he was doing Lower Six at Gokomere Mission School due to financial constraints.

Ridges of Beauregard sweet potatoes

He then went to train as a dental therapist at the School of Dental Therapy and Technology at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare.

“I then left to further my education to become a dentist from 1995 to 2000 at the Medical University of Southern Africa (MEDUNSA) in Pretoria, South Africa after which I relocated to the UK,” said Dr Ketani.

Mr Bolton Kudzai Kakava of Bolton Compliance Group said Dr Ketani is one of the farmers in Zimbabwe who wants to take advantage of the UK Eastern-Southern Africa Economic Partnership Agreement (UK ESA-EPA) and the EU interim Economic Partnership Agreement to enjoy duty and quota-free access to the markets.

He said the European market for sweet potatoes has increased significantly in the past years and will continue to grow in the long term.

“There is high demand for sweet potatoes, which is why Europe is an interesting export market.
The main export markets for sweet potatoes are United Kingdom, Germany, France and Belgium. The Netherlands is the main point of entry to other European markets,” said Mr Kakava.

He said sweet potato exports can be a big source of foreign currency which could improve the farmers’ livelihoods and also benefit the country.

“The crop is one of the easiest to grow and has a lower initial capital investment compared to other crops such as blueberries, avocados and citrus among others. In addition, sweet potatoes give a high return for investment over a short space of time,” said Mr Kakava.

Mr Kakava urged sweet potato farmers in Zimbabwe to capitalise on trade agreements and the high global demand for sweet potatoes.

Government is distributing virus free sweet potato vines to smallholder farmers through the Horticulture Recovery Plan and farmers are advised to preserve their own planting material off season.

The variety to grow depends on the length of the growing period, yield potential and preference of intended market.
The improved high yielding white fleshed sweet potato varieties that are available in Zimbabwe are Brontal, Cordner, Chingovha and German 2.

The second round Crop and Livestock Assessment (CLA) report for 2022 showed that sweet potato yields had decreased from 422 613 tonnes in the 2020/2021 season to about 207 529 tonnes for the 2021/2022 season, a 51 percent decline.-chronicle.cl.zw