Zimbabwe: Float Tray Use Now Popular

Source from:  The Herald 07/18/2011

More tobacco growers have received training in the use of float trays for tobacco fumigation following the ban of methylbromide, which is hazardous to the environment. Tobacco Research Board representative, Mr Goodson Khuddu, said this at a recent workshop on ozone depleting substances held in Harare. "We have managed to surpass our target of 15 000 growers in the past two years and they have confirmed that the float tray system is cost-effective," Khuddu said. He said they were targeting 2 000 farmers annually and 4 998 tobacco growers were trained this year. "We managed to distribute 1 707 635 trays to various farmers and 753 638 square metres of black plastic we acquired from United Nations Industrial Development Organisation," he said. The float tray system uses seeds that are put in trays, which float in water removing the need for methylbromide. Mr Khuddu urged small-scale farmers to attend free lessons offered by Agritex officers in the various districts. He said growers used up to US$356 per hectare for the trays, which last up to seven years. "The system is cost effective. It costs about US$356 to buy the material for one hectare and this material can last up to seven years if properly taken care of. "This means that farmers would have made a seven year investment compared to methylbromide, which had to be bought annually," he said. The floating tray technology was adopted after the ban of methylbromide, which is not environmental friendly. Enditem