The Sunday News
COMMERCIAL farmers in Umguza and Nyamandlovu in Matabeleland North province have lost thousands of dollars in potential revenue after frost damaged their crops this month. According to a report from the Department of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services in Matabeleland North province, more than 80 hectares of fields planted with various crops was affected by the frost.
Tomatoes were the most affected after about 42 hectares of the planted crop was destroyed, the report said.
“Tomatoes were 100 percent damaged depicting a decrease in supply on the market. As a result, price is anticipated to increase above $1,10 per kilogramme. Butternut and Irish potatoes also face the same situations as potatoes,” said the report.
“Beetroot and spinach were least affected by frost. Slight changes are expected to occur in the market for beetroot and spinach,” read part of the report.
According to the report, other crops that were also affected were fruit trees, cabbages, pumpkins, and spinach.
In an interview, Mrs Brilliant Ncube of Freeway Farm, Umguza, said she lost about $10 000 of potential revenue after the frost attacked her tomatoes.
“My two-and-a-half hectare crop of tomato was destroyed by frost on 11 June. The crop was now ready for market and I was supposed to sell them starting this month up to August and get about $10 000,” said a worried Mrs Ncube.
She said it was the first time her produce had been affected by frost since she started farming.
“Ever since we came to settle at this farm in 2003, we have never been affected by frost like this. We tried to burn tyres but it did not help much,” said Mrs Ncube.
Another farmer, Mr Jacob Ndlovu, said his crop was nearing maturity and he had secured orders in Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, when disaster struck.
“The entire tomato crop which was ready for the market is a write-off after being attacked by frost and I do not know how I am going to pay my workers,” said Mr Ndlovu from Umguza.
Matabeleland North provincial agronomist, Mr Davison Masendeke, urged farmers to employ best frost management practice and protect their crops.
“Farmers should listen to the weather forecast and that will help them. The farmers should keep a thermometer and around 3am, they should wake up and check it and if temperatures are dropping and there is a likelihood of frost, they should put light irrigation overhead so that you will be able to change the temperature around, so that when the frost comes, it does not settle on the leaf directly but on the water,” said the expert.
He added that farmers could also put windbreaks around fields to protect them from frost.
“Another thing which is not environmentally friendly is to burn tyres to increase the temperature of the air around,” the expert said. He, however, said the best thing was for farmers to stop growing crops that were susceptible to frost during winter.
