Mellisa Mutasa Herald Reporter
Two Mashonaland Central farmers scooped 2017 Tobacco grower of the year gongs at a Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board national awards ceremony last week.

Mr Sergio Bure walked away with a tractor and a trophy after being named tobacco grower of the year in the commercial sector while Mrs Patricia Guvamombe, a small-scale farmer of Adura Farm in Glendale, also got a tractor and a trophy in the small-scale sector.

Ms Guvamombe sold 12 000 kilogrammes of tobacco from 4 hectares. Speaking on the sidelines of awards ceremony, Mr Bure applauded Tobacco Sales Floor for recognising his hard work.

“I am happy to win the award. I have always worked hard on my land and I am happy that today I am enjoying the benefits of my hard work. I planted 25 hectares of tobacco last season and I had good yields. My land is small. I hope the Government will work on allocating more land to hardworking farmers since farming is our source of livelihood and it also helps in the generation of foreign currency for the country,” said Mr Bure.

He advised farmers to utilise their land productively, saying there was money to be earned from the soil. TIMB board chairperson Mrs Monica Chinamasa highlighted that Zimbabwean tobacco remained in demand on the international market, saying it earned the country foreign currency and provided livelihoods to tens of thousands of farmers.

“Tobacco production for 2017 was 188 920 318 kilogrammes, and we anticipate to receive more tobacco this season.

“I am proud to say in an effort to increase tobacco production in the country, Government through Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Settlement provided $28 million to assist farmers.

“Farmers should strive to produce the best of the grade that can be produced in their areas as prices are determined by the quality of the crop,” said Mrs Chinamasa.

She urged farmers to register and book their tobacco on time and to provide estimates to TIMB. She also told the farmers to shun side markets, to grade their crop properly and to be wary of middlemen.

The awards were sponsored by Agribank, Barclays, Zimbabwe Seed Association and CABS. The institutions urged farmers to approach their institutions for agricultural assistance.

Farmers were encouraged to attend agriculture training programmes offered by TIMB, Tobacco Research Board, Department of Agritex and Farmers Development Trust to improve their knowledge and farming practices.

Farmers were also urged to establish woodlots for future generation’s use. More than 30 farmers also walked away with prizes including knapsacks, motorbikes, hoes, trailers and chemicals.