Zimbabwe: Dry Spell Forces Tobacco Growers to Reap Early

Source from:  The Herald 01/22/2010

The dry spell being experienced in many parts of the country has forced some tobacco farmers to reap their crop before it fully matures, accepting the largely poor yields rather than writing off the crop. Induced maturity in dry land tobacco has become widespread in Manicaland and Mashonaland East. The crop prematurely turns golden because of the hot weather. In Manicaland, most of the dry land crop is under severe moisture stress. However, the farmers say the crop can be salvaged if it rains soon. Mashonaland East provincial tobacco specialist Mrs Evelyn Matsika said the crop could still be saved, although the moisture stress would compromise leaf quality. "The province is also facing problems of deforestation as demand for wood for curing is rising. "There is high demand for coal and wood for curing tobacco and farmers are cutting down trees indiscriminately," she said. Curing is also being affected by the bad state of barns at many farms. "There is need for farmers to rehabilitate their barns to ensure curing is done properly," Mrs Matsika said. Mashonaland East registered an increase in tobacco production for the 2009/10 farming season from about 9 000 hectares to 17 527. "Areas such as Mudzi and Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe are now producing tobacco on a large scale," Mrs Matsika said. Mashonaland Central provincial Agritex officer Mr Stancilae Tapererwa said, "Some farmers have started topping, while others are applying top dressing. "Most farmers have the fertilizers since they are producing under contract, but the commodity is scarce on the open market." Tobacco flowering usually results in small leaf production. To maximise leaf production and encourage leaf ripening, it is necessary to remove the flower in a process called topping. Mr Tapererwa said farmers could also use urea for top dressing although it would be applied at a different rate than that of ammonium nitrate. Mashonaland Central planted 16 604 hectares of tobacco this year compared to 11 524 that were planted last year. The early-planted irrigated tobacco is now at grading and baling stage. In most areas irrigated tobacco growers are reaping, curing, grading and baling. Favourable prices and 100 percent forex retention that were offered at the tobacco auction floors during the previous marketing season lured more growers into the industry. However, this year's crop has been affected by hailstorms and dry spell, which may reduce output. Enditem