ZIMBABWE: Tobacco Grows, Though Slightly

Source from:  Zimbabwe Standard (Harare) Kumbirai Mafunda 08/24/2004

ZIMBABWE'S next tobacco crop could balance at 65 million kgs or grow slightly assuming production of the country's former prime export crop is secured, say reports. Latest seed sales figures made available to Standard Business indicate that total seed sales of 332,7 kgs were made as at the beginning of August compared to 233,9 kgs sold by the same time last year. However only 100 kgs of seed have been bought by the large scale commercial tobacco growers, indicating that there is still turmoil in the tobacco growing sector which has been affected by the government sanctioned seizure of white-owned productive farmland. Small-scale growers and seed bed schemes have so far bought 233,7 kgs, an amount the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association (ZTA) say is significantly more than the 228kgs procured throughout the 2003/04 season. Assuming all seed is planted and using estimated seed usage and yields, the growers' association says Zimbabwe could produce a potential 70 million kgs, up by a paltry 5 million kgs from last year's figures. The ZTA - the country's largest flue-cured tobacco growing body that represents more than 75% of growers - has however warned that vandalism of farm equipment and the failure to access funding could hinder production of the golden leaf. "There are some key issues which need to be immediately addressed in order to secure this production," said Rodney Ambrose, the ZTA chief executive. "There is need to protect current infrastructure and all growing units, as this is the base from which production can stabilise and grow. Skills and experience need to be maintained and expanded," he added. Farmers say affordable and sufficient financing quickly needs to be made available to support the crop either through the central bank's concessionary Productive Sector Funding (PSF) or Contracting Schemes for which final Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) need to be agreed upon. Enditem