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Bongani Ndlovu, Chronicle Reporter 

ON Mr Average Munyeperi’s (46) property in Heaney Junction, two greenhouses that produce crops all year round stand out.

An accountant by profession, Mr Munyeperi of Kingsdale suburb in Bulawayo travels on average thrice a week to monitor the progress of his tomato crop grown in the greenhouses on the two hectare plot in Village Two, Heany Junction’s Ward Two, on the outskirts of Bulawayo.

He has four permanent employees. 

The signature crop as of now is the tomato, but other horticulture crops such as chomolia and green pepper are also available.

Some land on the plot is being prepared for the planting of potatoes.

To get better tomato yields, protocols are followed. Upon entering each greenhouse, there is a foot dipping station to sanitise people’s feet to kill diseases or pests that might affect the crop. 

Inside, over 1 000 plants at various stages of maturity are watered through drip irrigation by a solar-powered water pump from a borehole. 

In the first greenhouse, the tomato variety is Star 9037, which is an indeterminate long-shelf-life tomato hybrid. The second greenhouse has the Trinity variety which has a very high yield potential and constantly achieves between six to eight yields from the same plant over a period of time. 

The Star 9037 variety will be ready for picking at the end of October. 

The tomatoes that Mr Munyeperi is growing are expected to give him 12kg per plant.

When Mr Munyeperi turned 40 six years ago, he thought that old age was creeping, hence he had to think about a retirement plan. 

In 2019, he decided to buy the two-hectare plot and start a horticulture project.

A father to two; a boy aged five and a girl aged seven, Mr Munyeperi, husband to Lesly said his wife is passionate about farming and inspired him to venture into agriculture.

“I’m a new farmer who is an accountant by profession. You know as you get older, you can’t be running as much as you were when you are 21, so I decided to venture into farming as a retirement plan. Now I’m doing tomatoes some in the greenhouse, some in the open fields, chomolia, and green pepper,” he said.

Mr Munyeperi used his professional knowledge in accounting to crunch the numbers and realised that he could make a profit since the market for tomatoes is vast.

“I want to sell and make money from them. I have noticed that people in Bulawayo mostly buy tomatoes from as far as Chinhoyi or Macheke. So, if we have the capacity so why not do the tomatoes close to Bulawayo,” said Mr Munyeperi. 

He said it is expensive to set up a greenhouse but with the help of the area’s Agritex Officer Mrs Boitumelelo Ngwenya he is optimistic that the project will pay off.

“It was expensive buying the material and the labour involved. But when it comes to planting the tomatoes, it was more labour than capital intensive,” said Mr Munyeperi. 

One of the employees, 22-year-old Mr Vincent Muleya, settled in Bulawayo from Binga in February this year.

With no background in horticulture, Mr Muleya said he tends to the tomatoes diligently after being taught by Mr Munyeperi and the local Agritex officer, Mrs Boitumelelo Ngwenya.

“I prune the plants, put fertiliser and make sure that they are watered. I didn’t know how to do all this, but my colleagues were helping me and I learnt fast and now I’m working in one of the greenhouses alone tending to the tomato plants,” said Mr Muleya.

Mrs Ngwenya, the Agritex officer for Ward 2 covering Heaney Junction and Mkula areas, encouraged farmers to be hands-on and not be “cellphone farmers”.

“Farmers should make sure that they work with their agriculture extension officers from the beginning so that they get help in venturing into projects and do well. Agriculture is all about passion and working hard. If you want to do agriculture you can’t be doing so remotely. One needs to be hands-on, working on site, monitoring the progress of your crop and how the workers are conducting their duties,” said Mrs Ngwenya.

She said farmers should utilise the land and plant many other crops.

“We encourage multiple uses of the land with many crops such as what Mr Munyeperi is doing. He has tomatoes, green peppers, and chomolia and then is planning to put potatoes. So, all year round the farm is producing something from the land,” said Mrs Ngwenya. 

She said greenhouses guarantee year-round growing of the crop and minimise risks associated with diseases and help maximise, production and ultimately profits. – @bonganinkunzi