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Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]

THE decision to venture into tobacco farming is proving to be a game changer for Marula villagers in Mangwe District in Matabeleland South, where 17 pioneer farmers are basking in the glory of lucrative earnings after selling their crop.

The group hogged the limelight when it joined a pioneer commercial venture, successfully grew its first golden leaf under semi-arid weather conditions in the last season and reaped big.

They recently sold their tobacco for modest prices on the auction floors, competing with established tobacco farmers mainly from Mashonaland provinces, at a time when the country is going through one of its worst droughts.

The farmers are now using their proceeds to feed their families in the midst of an El Nino drought that wiped out maize crops leaving most communal farmers facing hunger after recording almost zero harvests.

Tobacco is predominantly grown in Mashonaland provinces with a few farmers involved in Midlands Province and not so common in the entire Matabeleland region, which majors in cattle ranching.

The pioneer tobacco scheme was introduced last year at Syringavale Farm in Ward 11, Marula – breaking the decades’ cycle of reliance on subsistence staple grain farming and livestock keeping. 

The leading farmer in the pioneer tobacco project harvested 1 000 kilogrammes of the golden leaf whose top-quality grade fetched US$3.40 per kilogramme, according to Mr Rodrick Musiiwa, a tobacco specialist who assisted the farmers in the transition from maize and other traditional crops to tobacco farming.

“Our best farmer harvested slightly over 1 000 kilogrammes of tobacco and we were happy when the best grade fetched US$3.40 on the auction floors, a figure that is impressive considering that the Marula farmers are first-time tobacco farmers.

“This was our trial season but the farmers managed to harvest an average of 800 kilogrammes each, meaning they all managed to reap profits for all their hard work,” said Mr Musiiwa.

All the farmers received a loan facility of US$875 in the form of inputs from Atlas Agric for seeds, fertilizers and chemicals, which they have repaid and were still left with sizeable profits.

The farmers are now using the profits to feed their families and in some cases buy livestock.

Mr Musiiwa said the quality of tobacco from Marula is good, thereby positioning the villagers in healthy competition against farmers from Mashonaland provinces who have been in tobacco farming for decades.

“The fact that the highest grade of tobacco from Marula fetched US$3.40 per kilogramme is proof that the area can produce quality crops, which can match the ones from Mashonaland provinces,” he said. 

“The good thing about tobacco farming is that even the lowest quality still finds buyers. So, there is no total loss unlike maize, which can be a total write-off when an area receives below normal rainfall.”

The number of tobacco farmers has ballooned from the initial 17 to 200 farmers in Mangwe with a total of 180 hectares earmarked for planting this season.

The Chronicle caught up with some of the new farmers who have joined the tobacco project preparing beds for tobacco seedlings under the watchful eye of Mr Musiiwa and his two assistants who are agriculture college students.

“What the farmers are doing now is what we call the herbicide and fertilizer application stage in preparation for planting our seeds, which the farmers will take care of for 10 to 12 weeks before planting them in their fields in the first week of December when the tobacco planting season officially starts,” said Mr Musiiwa.

“Three seedling beds are enough for one hectare, which is the biggest piece of land that we will allow farmers to work on. The size of land that each farmer is allowed to utilize is determined primarily by the number of people who can provide labour from each household.”

New farmer, Mrs Nontokozo Mlilo, said the scepticism that some villagers had when tobacco farming was introduced in Marula is now gone after the success of the trial season by the 17 farmers who joined the project at its inception.

“I have set aside half a hectare for tobacco farming because I also want to join the project as well. I got nothing from my three maize fields after the crops withered from lack of rain. So, I want to try my luck in tobacco farming this year and see how it goes,” she said.

“The villagers who planted tobacco have money from their crop while the rest of us who grew maize have nothing to show for our hard work.”

Mr Martin Mguni and his wife Bonita Moyo harvested close to 700 kilogrammes of tobacco with the lowest grade sold for US$1.90 per kilogramme and were left with enough money to buy two cows after servicing their loan for inputs.

“We have been growing maize for over 25 years but the money that we made after harvesting each year is no way closer to the money that we made from tobacco. Tobacco farming is truly changing our lives.

“This year we will prepare a hectare for tobacco farming and hopefully the rainy season will be much better. My advice to other villagers is to try tobacco farming as it pays better than other cash crops and is not heavily reliant on too much rain for a good harvest,” said Mr Mguni.