Dr Made
Elita Chikwati Agriculture Reporter
Government has applauded tobacco growers for being resilient by producing high volumes of the crop under harsh weather conditions experienced last season.
Tobacco farmers have sold more than 186 million kilogrammes of the crop worth $548 million through the contract and auction floors against an initial target of 165 million kilogrammes.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made said the 2015/16 season was challenging even for seasoned farmers.
Zimbabwe experienced a severe drought triggered by the El-Nino effect.
“We suffered record breaking high temperatures for most of the season and rainfall at best was intermittent in most areas. Effective rainfall only came in December and as a result many growers had to replant particularly those without irrigation.
“For those that were able to establish a crop, the tobacco, for the most part, ripened slowly resulting in the marketing season being delayed to March 30.
“As you know agriculture has been the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy contributing more than 60 percent of the country’s foreign exchange earnings and between 11 percent and 19 percent of GDP depending on the rainfall pattern,” he said.
He said tobacco played a critical role in the agriculture sector with over 98 percent of the crop being exported.
“Effectively, tobacco injects foreign currency into the economy during the tobacco marketing season with close to a billion United States dollars having been available to purchase the crop produced during the 20-15/16 season. Any factors that affect the growing of tobacco thus would have a serious impact on the national economy.
“Despite the difficulties brought about by the weather pattern, remarkably as at July 15, 174,5 million kilogrammes of tobacco worth $514 million had been sold through both contract system and auction floors. This attests to the resilience of tobacco growers,” he said.
Dr Made said that the Zimbabwean tobacco grower had come a long way since the land reform programme began.
In 2008 only 48 million kilogrammes of tobacco were produced but this rose to 216 million kilogrammes by the end of 2014 season.
“It is likely that when tobacco sales close this season we will have witnessed over 185 million kilogrammes being sold.
“This remarkable growth has not come about by chance but is a result of planned and purposeful efforts by Government supported by various players in the tobacco industry including growers associations, contractors, Tobacco industry and marketing Board; Tobacco Research Board,” he said.
He urged tobacco contractors to desist from charging high interest rates on inputs as this makes production unviable. Dr Made said the role of contractors was to boost tobacco production and not rip off farmers.
Growers on contract often complain about the mark-up on inputs by contractors which is unsustainable and some of the interest rates charged by contractors on production loans are high.
This makes it difficult for growers to realise a profit.
“While the role of contractors in boosting tobacco production in the country was recognised and appreciated, we are urging them to make it more affordable for the farmer to obtain good yields of quality tobacco and thus make real money from his efforts,” he said.
The tobacco marketing season will close on August 5.