Online Reporter
Business Reporter
FARMERS’ organisations are upbeat that the targeted 300 million kilogrammes of tobacco in the 2024/2025 summer cropping season will be achieved despite the prevailing dry spell being experienced across the country.
Tobacco is the nation’s second major foreign currency earner after gold.
Despite the adverse impact of the El Niño-induced drought in the 2023/2024 summer cropping season, the country produced 236 million kg of the cash crop.
In 2023, smallholder farmers, who constitute 60 percent of the beneficiaries of the Land Reform Programme, harvested an estimated 80 percent of the record tobacco crop of 296 million kg Zimbabwe produced.
Locally, the crop is grown in summer, with farmers relying on both irrigation and the rains.
As a result of the El Niño climatic conditions, water for irrigation in some areas has been limited this year and the prevailing dry spell has also seen part of the tobacco crop experiencing moisture stress.
In separate interviews last week, farmers’ unions said although part of the tobacco crop has started showing signs of moisture stress, they are still hopeful that the projected 2025 yield is achievable.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union chief economist Dr Prince Kuipa said: “In some areas, the crop might be stressed but we have hope because the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) is telling us that this was a bit expected because they had already indicated that the season will start in a normal to below-normal situation.
“So, farmers, when they were planning, they took that into consideration but also we already have had some first planting rainfall in November for most areas.
“So, I don’t think there is much adjustment in terms of the projected yield; it’s too early to issue a statement that the farmers are already adjusting the yield projection because most of the farmers had planted.
“Most of the farmers growing tobacco, they would do water planting (planting and then irrigating), so they are more guided by the time.”
In October, the MSD announced that it still expected La Niña to develop in the October-November-December (OND) period, and play a key role in rainfall distribution across much of the country.
A forecast issued in August this year showed that there were chances of normal-to-below-normal rains in the OND period, with normal-to-above-normal rainfall in the last half of the 2024/2025 season.
The MSD has also predicted that rains are expected across the country this week.
Dr Kuipa said tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe normally do not wait for the first planting rains to transplant their seedlings.
“They use water bowsers and other means to do what we call water planting, which means they are just putting water at the station where they are going to transplant and that takes the seedlings to the rains when they eventually come.
“So, most of the farmers growing tobacco have planted already — we are not waiting for the rains to start and I don’t think there are any major adjustments yet because by now most of the tobacco crop should have been planted,” he said.
Statistics from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) indicate that, as of December 6, 2024, a total of 66 438 hectares (ha) had been transplanted compared to 61 380ha during the same period last year.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) president Dr Shadreck Makombe said: “In terms of the yield and the hectares planted, we wouldn’t say it’s going to be affected because there are those farmers who planted using irrigation.
“Our worry now is the sustainability in terms of moisture content; that’s really a cause for concern and as it is right now, it’s quite worrisome because we thought by now some rains would have been received.
“But as we are speaking, it’s a dry spell and even for those who are irrigating, there is a shortage of water due to the El Niño-induced drought this year.
“We hope and trust what has been said by the Meteorological Services Department that over the weekend there might be some showers will come to fruition.”
He said the crop in some parts of the country is starting to be affected by moisture stress but if the rains fall, the situation will improve.
“However, as farmers, we still maintain the targeted tobacco yield for this season is still achievable despite the obtaining situation,” said Dr Makombe.
Last year, Zimbabwe exported 236 million kg of the golden leaf, generating US$1,3 billion and, as of December 6, 2024, tobacco exports stood at US$1,33 billion from 234 million kg.
Zimbabwe’s flue-cured tobacco exports are primarily destined for markets in the Far East, Middle East, Africa, the European Union, the Americas, Europe and Oceania.
TIMB has announced that it has rolled out several initiatives to improve farmers’ viability and ensure an annual yield of 300 million kg by next year, as enunciated by the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation
Plan approved by the Cabinet in 2021.
Under the plan, the Government is also aiming to improve the golden leaf’s value to US$5 billion and an additional US$10 billion by 2030.
The plan also seeks to raise localisation of tobacco funding to 70 percent; improve the level of value addition; and boost cigarette production to 30 percent, from 2 percent.
Wenslus Murape
