By Almot Maqolo
HARARE – The Southern African Development Community was hit by a series of five tropical storms and cyclones, affecting Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Slow onset of the rainfall season as well as fertilizer shortages had an adverse impact on Zimbabwe's farming season.
Following a period of extended dryness in February, most crops suffered significant moisture stress and near complete write-offs, likely for some households in worst-affected areas. This prompted the government to lift the maize and wheat import bans and is allowing the milling industry and stock feed manufacturers to import grain.
Surprisingly the late heavy rains have caught tobacco farmers unaware causing unnecessary expenses to the already pressed communal farmers. This comes as the end of March and the beginning of April sees Zimbabwe come out of the rainy season.
Zimbabwe is the largest producer of tobacco in Africa. Tobacco production is a key economic activity for small scale farmers. The crop is mainly produced through the contract system where buyers provide the farmers with the inputs for tobacco farming.
On 19 of April 2022, heavy rains were recorded across the country at a time when most farmers did not expect it.
However, it has adverse effects especially on farmers who still have their tobacco on the fields.
This is in the sense that after these rains, it will activate the ammonia nitrate which means that the tobacco that was ripening will turn green.
Accordingly it means more time in the fields. On the other hand, it will actually affect some farmers who have their tobacco in the fields who applied ammonia nitrate late hence it will have adverse effects on those farmers.
Also for those who are on the curing stage, it is difficult to reach a good curing temperature when it is raining because it will be cold. In Zimbabwe, tobacco is often flue-cured, a process that involves heating and drying the leaves. Some sophisticated producers use electricity to cure the tobacco, but in Zimbabwe, the process requires large amounts of firewood.
Tobacco Farmers Union of Zimbabwe (ToFUZ) President Believe told this publication that it will also mean more consumption of firewood.
“So in areas where firewood is now a problem those farmers are going to face extra cost and extra expense in trying to find curing options especially in providing energy for the curing,” he said.
On the issue of storage, he said communal farmers, most of them do not have good infrastructure in terms of storing rooms.
“So it will also affect those farmers who have limited space for storage. Cured tobacco is easily affected by water but due to this rainfall spell which is around our nation it will also affect their crop.”
At least 21.91 million kilograms of tobacco worth US$62.14 million have been sold so far at auction and contract floors in the country since the selling season opened on March 30 this year, statistics from the industry regulator show.
Indications suggest national tobacco volumes to be 10-15% below prior year.
Tobacco is Zimbabwe's second foreign currency earner after gold, with China and South Africa being the major buyers of the golden leaf. Other top buyers of flue-cured tobacco from Zimbabwe are the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Belgium.
Last year, the country sold 186.6 million kg of tobacco leaf valued at 515.9 million U.S. dollars during the2021 marketing season, up 16.8 percent in volume and 31 percent in value over the 2020 sales.