Agritex officers training tobacco farmers
The Herald
Lawrence Chitumba Mashonaland Central Correspondent
THE Department of Agritex has embarked on a campaign to educate tobacco farmers in Mashonaland Central Province on the dangers of not destroying tobacco stalks.
This follows revelations that only 40 percent of the farmers countrywide have destroyed their stalks.
This also comes as the average price of tobacco has fallen by 35 percent compared to last year and this has been largely attributed to the poor quality of tobacco delivered to the auction floors owing to diseases caused by viruses due to none compliance to the tobacco legislation.
Tobacco is one of the country’s leading foreign currency earners, with statistics from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board indicating that by day 72, farmers had earned US$408 million from the 211 million kilogrammes sold so far this season.
Speaking after touring training workshops held at Shamva and Mt Darwin districts, Mashonaland Central Provincial Agritex Officer, Mr Stancilae Tapererwa, said the 2018/19 season had 184 000 registered growers up from 145 000.
He said this meant that perhaps the new farmers were not aware of the tobacco legislation which stipulates that tobacco stalks have to be destroyed before May 15 every year.
“As the Department of Agritex, we have embarked on a campaign to train our extension workers so that they educate tobacco farmers in all the areas where the crop is grown in Mashonaland Central on the dangers of not destroying tobacco stalks before the stipulated date, following revelations that only 40 percent of the farmers have done so countrywide,” said Mr Tapererwa.
“There has been a fall in the price of tobacco at the auction floors by 35 percent compared to last year and this has been largely attributed to the poor quality of the crop.
This is being attributed to diseases caused by viruses due to none compliance to tobacco legislation.”
Mr Tapererwa said tobacco farming was critical to the country, providing the bulk of the much-needed foreign currency, with 5,5 million people, at least 33 percent of the population, directly depended on the crop.