The Sunday News
Ngonidzashe Chiutsi Business Correspondent
HARVESTING and curing of tobacco has started in Matabeleland region with farmers pledging to increase production in the next season, Sunday Business can reveal. Tobacco, which was traditionally grown in Mashonaland and other parts of the country, has expanded with Matabeleland region farmers slowly joining in the growing of the golden leaf.
According to Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) eight farmers from the region registered for the 2015 cropping season as at February.
Last year nine tobacco farmers in Matabeleland North produced the cash crop in a combined 26 hectares of land.
In an interview the foreman for Plot 15 in Umguza, Mr Reuben Ncube, said they were hoping to fetch a good price for their tobacco.
“We planted our tobacco on 20 October last year and we are now busy harvesting and curing some of it. We planted one hectare and if the tobacco fetches a good price we are going to increase the hectarage to three in the next season. We got the knowledge from the Agritex officials,” said Mr Ncube.
A farm worker at Plot 15 Willondale Farms in Umguza Mr Casper Sibanda said their tobacco was ready for harvesting.
“The tobacco that we planted last year mid-December is now ready for reaping. We planted one hectare as a trial project and we realised tobacco can be grown in Matabeleland region,” he said.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union Matabeleland North chairperson Mr Winston Babbage said tobacco farming was possible in Matabeleland.
“I planted one hectare this year and I have seen that tobacco farming is very much possible and I am planning to increase hectarage next year,” said Mr Babbage.
The region is reportedly lagging behind in tobacco farming due to factors such as lack of expertise as well as unavailability of inputs.
The Government pledged to set up an auction floor should the number of producers and the yield increase.
The number of registered tobacco growers has continued to grow in the past few years resulting in the country earning up to $730 million from tobacco exports last year.
China, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Belgium and Russia are among the major markets for the country’s flue-cured tobacco.
