Drip Irrigation brings hope in the face of climate change

Buhle Nkomo
Ketie Chapata (43) a small scale tobacco farmer based in Odzi in Manicaland Province could not contain her excitement after the successful installation of a drip facility at her plot last Friday.

“I am over the moon. This means better yield, improved quality and more money. I can now transplant beginning of September and do not have to wait for the onset of the rains. Last season my yield was low and so was my average price of $2.50 per kilogram. With drip irrigation I can plan my planting, reaping and curing. When my crop is in stress I can do something about it, that is the power of drip irrigation”, said Chapata.

 “Farming is my major source of livelihood hence I cannot afford to sit on my laurels, now that I have the drip facility, I will apply for the rocket barn facility as well as for the command agriculture programme”, added on Chapata.

“If tobacco fails for one reason or another, I should be able to fall back onto my poultry project or my horticulture farming both of which I started from proceeds from tobacco to augment my income. Last season my tobacco was affected by sun burn and pythium root rot disease but with water I believe these challenges are easier to manage” said Chapata. 

“My contract with TIMB does not restrict the use of the drip facility only to tobacco farming hence I will be able to also water my vegetable garden and make more money. In fact, it is easier to produce tobacco when you have money” she added on.

Drip irrigation is generally considered the most appropriate agriculture technology amid the climate change challenges faced by tobacco farmers across the country. 

A prolonged dry spell during the critical growing stage of the crop can greatly affect yield and to address this issue, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) came up with drip irrigation initiative for tobacco farmers with a revolving fund accessed from financial services at very low interest rates and payable over two seasons.

Tobacco farmers are urged to apply for the drip irrigation system offered by TIMB for a quality crop and increased yields.

For a farmer to qualify for the drip irrigation programme, they should have a water source such as a borehole, weir, river or dam and should have been farming tobacco in the last two seasons.

If one does not qualify for the TIMB scheme but have the required amount of money which is plus or minus $1500 per hectare, they can also approach Driptech or another competent company independently for a suitable irrigation design.

While our national average yield is 2200 kilogrammes per hectare, irrigated crop can surpass 4000kgs per hectare if managed properly hence TIMB is pushing for drip irrigation as one way of adapting to climate change. 

Drip irrigation is suitable for small scale farmers who do not have water in abundance as it not only saves through directing

water to the plant but is also cheaper in terms of pumping costs. 

 With drip irrigation water is applied directly on the plant and the land between the plant rows remains dry thereby reducing weeds on the field. Some weeds have diseases that they are normally associated with and they can also be a source of non-tobacco related material. 

 Irrigation reduces the amount of scalding of upper leaves and firing of lower leaves during dry weather and can also improve the curability of crop if the tobacco is harvested during hot weather.

Farmers with an irrigation facility should develop an irrigation schedule to guide them on when to and when not to irrigate their crop as too much water can cause leaching. 

For instance, irrigation after transplanting should be considered in all situations but between establishment and knee high stages of a crop, a little moisture stress is required as it encourages deeper root development which is beneficial during grand growth period as it also improves yield and quality.

 Important to note is that irrigation is more efficient at night than during hot day time because of less evaporation.

Tobacco farmers are encouraged to apply for the drip facility at TIMB regional offices near them.

For additional Information contact
TIMB on telephone numbers 08677004624/6 or 0772145166/9 or 0279-22082/21982 or 025-3439 or 067-24268/29246 or 0277-2700 or 064-7280 or 0271-6772 or Toll Free
Numbers 08006003 / 0731999999 / 0712832804

or E-mail: info@timb.co.zw

Intergrated Pest Management System for profitable yields.

Integrated Pest Management System for profitable yields

Buhle Nkomo

Tobacco is susceptible to a number of pests that can cause serious damage to roots, lower yield, reduce leaf quality, in some instances transmit tobacco diseases and ultimately decrease revenue.

The Tobacco Industry & Marketing Board (TIMB) encourages the implementation of practices such as the Integrated Pest Management by the tobacco farming community with a view to enhancing quality, yield and revenue while managing costs by particularly reducing unnecessary pesticide or insecticide applications.  

Integrated Pest Management can be defined as a combination of systematic biological, chemical and cultural ways of controlling pests. The thrust of Integrated Pest Management is the use of suitable environment friendly and cheaper methods of lowering pest levels in crop production.

The Integrated Pest Management is premeditated to help tobacco farmers protect their crops from pests at the lowest possible costs.

The Integrated Pest Management system which should have three aspects and the most important one being field scouting, a regular and systematic checking of the crop designed to detect the occurrence and concentration of pests.

Suitable scouting entails examining crops repetitively and on a weekly basis with an aim to collect pest samples for proper identification in order to come up with precise pest control methods.

 After identifying the pest, the farmer needs to ascertain the extent the pests have reached in a bid to determine the economic threshold, before control measures are economically and environmentally justified.

Lastly, a pest control resolutions should be established based on the number of pests or level of crop damage at which it pays to spend money on a pesticide treatment.

It is ideal that pests build to relatively large numbers to be chemically controlled for example if there a more than 10 bud-worms per 100 plants, an insecticide can be applied but if it’s not the case bud -worms can be controlled by hand picking as spraying a small number might lead to pest developing resistance.

If an insecticide is necessary, farmers should choose the most likely to target the pest and not harm beneficial insects.  If need be, systemic insecticides can be applied to the soil and taken up by the plant to control leaf-feeding insects, however farmers should consult the Tobacco Research Board (TRB) or AGRITEX officers for guidance.

There are other types of control measures that may be taken against insects in tobacco production and these include biological and cultural control methods.

Biological control method is the use of a living organism to control another living organism. This includes nematodes, pathogens, predators, and parasites thus naturally occurring predators and parasites comprise biological control agents.

These organisms can contribute a lot in controlling pests. For example, as a group, parasitic wasps, predatory stilt bugs, and other beneficial insects can kill 80 to 90 percent of bud-worms and horn-worms in a field.

Several cultural practices can help reduce insect infestations and decrease the need for insecticide applications.  The following cultural practices aid in the management of insect pests in tobacco farming.

Early land preparation can help in controlling pests. Ploughing at least four weeks before transplanting reduces cutworm infestations and may aid in wire-worm control.

Destruction of seedbed transplants as soon as practical after transplanting is completed is important as this practice keeps aphids and other insects from developing high populations on the transplants and migrating to nearby tobacco fields.

Another cultural way is the management of field borders to reduce insect habitat.  Farmers should keep field margins clear of weeds and tall grass to reduce feeding, breeding, and over wintering sites for grasshoppers and other insects that move from these sites into tobacco.

It can never be overstated that good agronomic practices in pest control are key to successful growing of a clean and heavier bodied crop leading to greater revenue due to higher quality of the leaf.

For additional Information contact
TIMB on telephone numbers 08677004624/6 or 0772145166/9 or 0279-22082/21982 or 025-3439 or 067-24268/29246 or 0277-2700 or 064-7280 or 0271-6772 or Toll Free
Numbers 08006003 / 0731999999 / 0712832804

or E-mail: info@timb.co.zw

Registration as a Tobacco Grower & Submission of Crop Estimates.

All tobacco growers are reminded that they MUST be registered before 31 October of the year preceding the marketing year.

Requirements to be registered as a grower are:

a)   A completed application form.

b)   A recommendation letter rubber stamped and signed by the grower’s local AGRITEX officer to confirm that the grower is a bona fide tobacco grower.

 C)   Proof of land availability i.e. permit / land offer letter, or a recommendation letter from the growers local Councillor / Chief / Headman if in communal area.

d)   National Identification (certified copy)

In addition to the normal registration fee of $10 the following penalties are levied for all registrations done after the legislated deadline:

·        A penalty of $10 is charged for registration between 1st November & 31st December.

·        A penalty of $40 is charged for registration between 1st January & start of the marketing season.

·        Any registration that is done after the commencement of the marketing season attracts a penalty of $90.

Renewals can also be done using Ecocash platform and the TIMB biller code is 41986.

TIMB wishes to advise all tobacco growers that all crop estimates be submitted at any TIMB office before the start of the marketing season.

 For additional information please contact TIMB on Tel 263-04613263/70/88/88/95; 613310/17/18/19; 613532; 613425; 613431; 613108; 613911; 613604; 613925; 0772145166-9. Fax 613264 Email us on info@timb.co.zw or visit our website www.timb.co.zw

A Female Tobacco Farmer’s story

Grace Gohori (41), a tobacco farmer at Alsace Farm in Beatrice started farming tobacco in 2007 and is one of the over 8000 women farming tobacco in Zimbabwe.

“My yield averaged 3,500 kilograms per hectare on my three hectare plot although the season was characterized by long dry spells, and this is up from about a 1,000 kilograms when I did not have the drip facility”,said Gohori.

“Drip irrigation improves quality and yield per hectare and more farmers, particularly women need to apply for this initiative offered by TIMB” Gohori added.

Gohori also uses the drip facility to water her vegetables, tomatoes, cabbages and onions which she sells in Mbare as well as export to Zambia.Gohori also has a butchery and poultry rearing project targeting the local market.

“Tobacco has transformed my life as I virtually had nothing when I started but now I have a truck that I use to ferry bales as well as horticultural produce to the market”, she said.

“Although my main focus is tobacco farming, as a farmer you cannot put all your eggs in one basket hence I have diversified into horticulture and this not only enables me to rotate my crops but increases my revenue base as well as support my tobacco farming activities. I cannot say I have made it yet but am surely on course” said Gohori.

She added : “As tobacco farmers we produce for the market and need to meet demand, hence we need to understand the market, for instance some buyers pay more for lemon styles while other pay better for mahogany styles. Time is also a factor as I attained $4.99 per kg at the beginning of the season but prices waned as the season progressed.”

Gohori encouraged women that have land to be productive and venture into tobacco farming as women already have patience to their favour, something she said is essential in tobacco production.

“Whatever men can do, women can do better. Women should learn to farm tobacco because it has good returns as long as one studies the market, does not take short cuts, is resilient and pays attention to detail as the crop needs monitoring and extra care so as to protect it from diseases” she added.

As a tobacco grower, Gohori said she encountered a number of challenges during the season; chief among them being financial constraints.

“For instance, hiring a tractor to plough or to ridge a hectare costs $100. I hope financial inclusion was not all talk and we will soon start seeing banks extending low interest loan facilities to us since we now have track records as tobacco farmers”, said Gohori.

“The whole idea is to manage costs and maximize on productivity hence to minimize drip irrigation fuel costs, we schedule our planting so that we benefit from the rains and do not use drip irrigation through and through. I use drip irrigation when the crop is showing signs of stress. We also intend to apply for energy efficient rocket barns scheme so as to reduce costs on curing fuel”, Gohori added on.

TIMB has been rolling out for two years both drip irrigation scheme as well as a rocket barn construction program targeting small scale tobacco farmers.

Gohori urged women to engage in economically emancipating tobacco farming and encouraged the generality of the population to desist from starting veld fires as they are not only counter productive but are a threat to the environment. 

For additional Information contact
TIMB on telephone numbers 08677004624/6 or 0772145166/9 or 0279-22082/21982 or 025-3439 or 067-24268/29246 or 0277-2700 or 064-7280 or 0271-6772 or Toll Free
Number 08006003 / 0731999999 or E-mail: info@timb.co.zw

Experiences of a tobacco farmer

David Danger (54), a tobacco farmer from Headlands in Manicaland Province started tobacco farming in 1997 at Graham Ross’ farm as a farm labourer, and his has been a tale of from rags to riches.

“At first we wore shirts torn in the back but we were committed to succeed.”Today, Danger is a proud owner of 25 herd of cattle and has managed to install a borehole and a solar system at his household.

''Graham Ross saw how committed I was to my work and my eagerness to learn as well as skill and he promoted me to be his farm manager, Danger said.''

''He encouraged me to do something on the side and now am a tobacco farmer in my own right as I produce tobacco on three hectares and maize on one hectare, besides working on Ross’ farm, he added.''

''Ross has been supportive of my farming activities and has given me his old equipment including tractors after he bought new equipment.''

''One thing I learnt from Ross’s management style is that he is always on the ground as he is not a cell phone farmer. This season I managed to produce 3000kgs per hectare at an average price of $4.00 per hectare at my plot .''said Danger.

The national average yield per hectare is 2200 kilograms per hectare at an average price of $2.94 per kg.

Danger attributed his good returns to good agronomic practices and discipline.
  
“Planning is a critical success factor in tobacco farming, for instance, to be a successful farmer, one should ensure that they have adequate barn space to avoid wastage as leaves rot” said Danger.

He added:  “The same concept applies to seedbed as three beds of seedling can give you a hectare of tobacco and three hectares would require nine beds of conventional seedbeds.”

Danger emphasized the importance of uniformity right from the seedbed as he mentioned the need for farmers to avoid borrowing seedlings of different size and quality so as to have a uniform crop.

Danger also urged growers to conduct soil testing annually to check the balance of the soil nutrients so that they would be in a position to add the necessary nutrients in recommended quantities such as nitrogen, phosphate and potassium amongst others.

One cost effective practice that Danger adopted is manual basal fertiliser application using cup numbers 22 and 16 on either side of the plant as opposed to using a tractor.

“We used to ridge with a tractor and ridger until we realised that as the tractor turned at the end of the field, we lost a lot of fertiliser.”

Danger also emphasized the need to study the selling environment and make appropriate decisions.

“I changed the floor where I was selling after having not been happy with the prices; thereafter I fetched good prices of $4.99 per kilogram.''

“Since I don’t have irrigation equipment, I use bed or normal ridges because they conserve lots of moisture. I am also considering the drip irrigation programme offered by Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board.”

As a way of managing the farm, Danger also follows meteorology services reports and maintain records of activities.
“Last season we planted on the 15^th of September and for this season, the start of the rain season will determine when we transplant onto the field”, he said

Danger does not have a firewood plantation hence for curing he relies on buying sustainably produced firewood from Hunyani Forests.

“I do not have woodlots because my space is limited. I however do not use indigenous trees as I know implications to the environment. I buy wood for curing from Hunyani”, Danger said.

David Danger, scooped the TIMB first prize for the best tobacco exhibit at Makoni Agricultural Show on Friday, 9^th September 2016 where he walked away with one hectare implements courtesy of the TIMB.

The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board has been holding similar competitions at different provincial and district agricultural shows around the country with an intention of promoting good quality Zimbabwe flavoured tobacco, the country is renowned for.

At the national level, different partners joined hands to sponsor prizes at the Harare Agricultural Show, something which has been absent for 17 years.

The national prize was won by Craig Dankweats of Peacey Estates Mashonaland East Province while number two went to Cecilia Jim and number three went to Jonathan Musoki of Mashonaland West and Mashonaland Central respectively.

 

For additional Information contact
TIMB on telephone numbers 0772145166/9 or 0279-22082/21982 or 025-3439 or 067-24268/29246 or 0277-2700 or 064-7280 or 0271-6772 or Toll Free
Number 08006003 / 0731999999 or E-mail: info@timb.co.zw

 

 

Perspectives of a tobacco farmer.

Knowledge Madondo is a small scale tobacco farmer who is based in Odzi area in Mutare.

He has been into tobacco farming for four years and this year he experienced a bumper harvest as his crop yielded more than expected although he practiced dry land cropping.

He planted two hectares (2ha) with KRK 26 variety of the tobacco crop and managed to harvest four thousand kilograms (4 000 kg) of tobacco.

Madondo attributes his yield to having ploughed early and water conservation techniques he used.

“My last season’s yields were good because I was guided by my contractor to do early ploughing as it helps conserves moisture by inhibiting evaporation from the soil because dry land ploughing requires drought management as the rainfalls are unpredictable” said Madondo.

He stated that he was satisfied with being a tobacco grower as it is profitable as he is able to provide for his family and his fortunes have improved whilst he is also able to positively contribute to the economy of the country.

“I cannot think of farming anything else besides tobacco because from my profit i can easily take care of my wife and send my two children to school. I also contribute to the country’s economic activity as I hire men and women whom I work with throughout the farming season”

“I have also managed to buy a car with what I got from the last seasons and I can see progress in my life” Madondo added.

Madondo however said he faced different challenges which involve shortage of equipment and skilled labour during the farming season.

“We don’t have enough equipment; we use cows and an ox-drawn plough. When it is time for harvesting we use scotch-carts and we lose lots of tobacco as it breaks along the way”.

He added that it is consequently important that tobacco contractors invest in the small scale farmers by issuing out them farming inputs, required skills and possibly mechanized equipment such as tractors.

Madondo also highlighted the need for the industry to keep farmers abreast with means and ways to adapt climate change so as to keep the industry lucrative for the farmers.

“We need people who will help us monitor the crop and guide us through the season. If the crop is affected by a disease for instance or the leaf turns a certain color, experts should be readily available to guide us accordingly with regards to how we are to address the situation we will be seized with if we are to produce a good quality crop.”

Besides tobacco farming, Madondo also earns an income from welding.

Madondo is one of the over 80 000 tobacco farmers who collectively earned 600 million in A the 2015/2016 tobacco farming season.

The 2015/2016 saw an increase in yield per hectare and the country yielding more tobacco than the 2014/2015 season although the season had been characterized by the El-Nino weather phenomena.

As a sign of improving agronomic practices, bale rejection rate for the season was lower by 17 percent compared to the previous season.

For additional Information contact
TIMB on telephone numbers 0772145166/9 or 0279-22082/21982 or 025-3439 or 067-24268/29246 or 0277-2700 or 064-7280 or 0271-6772 or Toll Free
Number 08006003 / 0731999999 or E-mail: info@timb.co.zw

Nitrogen levels to be kept at optimum levels for good quality tobacco crop and yields.

Buhle Nkomo
Tobacco farmers are urged to maintain nitrogen levels at ideal levels from seedbed up to curing of tobacco to improve yields as excessive nitrogen may lead to brittle leaves and a reduction of plant population which in turn may increase the famers cost in doing gap filling.

Monitoring of a balanced supply of nitrogen should be well-thought-out from the seedbed stage because if not so, it might compromise the quality of the anticipated yield because nitrogen affects the growth of tobacco more than any other nutrient.

When tobacco seedlings are transplanted with excessive nitrogen it will result in transplanting shock therefore reducing plant population, which in turn will increase farmer’s cost of production as a result of gap filling.

Apart from the initial soil testing, to achieve a balanced supply of nitrogen in a plant, farmers are urged to apply the correct amount of fertilizer at the suitable times and by the time the plant has eight to twelve leaves one should be through with ammonium nitrate top dressing.

The amount of ammonium nitrate to be applied is dependent on soil type and variety of tobacco sown, for example on sandy soils early ploughed or second year requires 15-40 kg N/ha while late ploughed 35-70kg N/ha while sandy loams, early ploughed requires 10-30 N/ha while late ploughed 30-55 N/ha.

In sandy clay loams or heavier soils, 20-55 kg N/ha is required and noteworthy is that mineralization should occur when the soils are moist.

The amount of rain received has effect on the nitrogen in the soil as heavy rains result in leaching.

There are several effects of excessive nitrogen on a tobacco crop.

One can detect excess nitrogen in their crop by the outlook of the crop as the leaves turn very green, long and thin with chances of getting thicker as crop matures, however maturity can delay.

Sometimes nitrogen results in a bushy big plant with thin leaves, making the plant susceptible to diseases as the leaf would be easily attacked by pathogens.

Nitrogen excess may promote sucker growth and the process of removing suckers increase labour costs as well as reduce leaf size.

Excess nitrogen can make leaves brittle resulting in a lot of leaf damage during field operations resulting in reduced harvested leaves.

The plant may also delay maturity leading to difficult curing.

In the barn leaves with excess nitrogen turn black on every area concentrated with nitrogen and in certain instances it may cause leaf rotting.

It is therefore worth noting that the proportion of scrap and fines is higher than leaf in a crop with excess nitrogen, translating to a reduction in yield.

In addition farmers should also watch out for the deficiency of nitrogen on their tobacco crops as this can also compromise the quality of the yield.

Nitrogen deficiency may result in retarded growth, which means leaves will have a pale green colour.

Lower leaves may prematurely turn yellow while in some instances leaves will be small and dry up.

Reduced nitrogen affects the stem of the tobacco plant as it will be short and slender with pointed leaves.

Less nitrogen may also cause potassium firing which can be described as mottling and brownish –yellow spots which are usually confined to the leaf tips and may result in a ragged leaf.

The tobacco marketing season came to an end on Wednesday with 200 million kgs having been sold this season.

Farmers are encouraged to register for the 2016/2017 season, to attend training workshops offered by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board in the districts as well as to destroy stalks for those who may not have done so yet.

Written By Buhle Nkomo

For additional Information contact
TIMB on telephone numbers 0772145166/9 or 0279-22082/21982 or 025-3439 or 067-24268/29246 or 0277-2700 or 064-7280 or 0271-6772 or Toll Free
Number 0731999999 or E-mail: info@timb.co.zw