Zimbabwe Farmers Meet Tobacco Targets

Source from:  busrep.co.za Johannesburg January 17, 2008 01/18/2008

Tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe have managed to plant 90 percent of the targeted 60 000 hectares for the 2007/2008 season in the face of heavy water-logging, the state-controlled Herald reported on Thursday. Tobacco Industry Marketing Board acting chief executive Andrew Matibiri told the newspaper that 57 000 hectares had been put under tobacco so far. He said the figure could be higher since he was still receiving further statistics. Early indications were that some farmers were still planting weeks after the planting deadline, the Herald said. Normally tobacco farmers are supposed to plant their crop before December 31 each year. Matibiri said - as was the case with other crops - most of the tobacco had been affected by water-logging. He told the Herald that the crop had also been affected by weeds as the incessant rains that were failing all over the country were hampering weeding operations. Tobacco farmers were also battling to obtain ammonium nitrate fertiliser for top-dressing purposes. In instances where farmers had the fertiliser, there were reports that they were facing difficulties in applying the it - due to the excessive rains. According to the Herald, a report released around the December 21 indicated that Mashonaland Central had the biggest cumulative hectarage of 16 074ha, followed by Mashonaland East with 12 966ha, Mashonaland West with 12 647ha, Manicaland with 6 524ha, Midlands 45ha and Masvingo 15ha. At the time a total of 48 271 hectares had been put under tobacco representing 80 percent of the targeted 60 000 hectares. The report said that the northern tobacco growing districts were being hampered by serious shortage of basal fertiliser with others opting for Compound D which is not appropriate. The report also noted cases of false ripening in Seke district due to the current heavy rains, with leaching reducing crop quality. A total of 495 kg of tobacco seed was sold by the end of September - an all-time record for the country, the Herald said. Reserve Bank Governor Dr Gideon Gono, who has dubbed this summer cropping season the "Mother of all Agricultural Seasons", increased foreign currency retention allowances to 100 percent for all exporting growers. The governor has indicated that the central bank would continue to support tobacco farmers through delivery bonus schemes that not only reflect production costs but reasonable allowance for favourable profit returns to farmers as well. During the last selling season, tobacco farmers benefited from an initial government support price of Z$40 000, calculated on a pro rata basis benchmarked at 1.50 US dollars per kg, which was increased to Z$55 000 per kg towards the end of the season. The government has set a production target of 120 million kilograms of tobacco for this year, the Herald said. Enditem