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Farai Rugeje Harare Bureau
PREPARATIONS for the 2015 tobacco planting season have started with more than 290,280 grammes of flue-cured seed having been sold by the end of May. The seed sales commenced mid-May at the Tobacco Research Board and the Zimbabwe Tobacco Seed Association. Agronomist Temba Pilime said seed beds for wholly irrigated tobacco should be established on June 1 every year, while those for the semi-irrigated be established between June 15 and July 1.

“Planting of the irrigated tobacco starts on the first of September every year while rain fed tobacco is planted starting in October to early December depending on the region in which the farmer is located,” he said.

Pilime also said farmers may fail to meet the required hectarage due to financial challenges they incurred during the previous season.
“Some farmers have been discouraged by low prices being offered and may fail to meet their targeted hectarage because of financial challenges. Prices offered at the auction floors this season were so low that some farmers made huge losses and cannot afford inputs,” he said.

Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union vice president Johnson Mapira said most tobacco growers have adopted the new technology of producing seedlings in float trays.

“This is much cheaper and does not require much labour as in the conventional seedbeds,” he said.
Agritex officers urged farmers to learn the new technology of seedbed production at the Tobacco Research Board, which offers free lessons on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Karoi District Agricultural Extension Officer, Kevin Charehwa challenged farmers doing their own seedbeds to always interact with the research board’s technical and extension teams and agronomists from Agritex.

Last year, TRB produced seedlings enough to cover 66,231 hectares for both irrigated and dryland tobacco, 48,380 hectares shy of this year’s current standings.