HARARE - As Zimbabwe is reported to be repositioning itself to regain its status as a major tobacco exporter the Tobacco Research Board (TRB) has made tremendous strides in a bid to phase out methylbromide in tobacco seedling production. Ezekia Svotwa of the Boards Kutsaga Research Station in Harare told a recent workshop that Zimbabwe was making a major contribution to international efforts to eliminate use of ozone depleting substances, with assistance from the United Nations Development Organisation, UNIDO.
The production of cash crops and tobacco has suffered greatly in Zimbabwe due to the 2000 land reform programme. Zimbabwe was the world’s 6th largest producer of tobacco in 2001. Today, it produces less than 1/3 of the amount produced in 2000.
But the number of small-scale farmers has increased recently, and production is on the increase. According to Svotwa, the tobacco sector currently employs 17% of the country’s labour force with 200 403 employees directly employed and 24 500 indirectly employed.
He said about 40,000 growers, mainly from the small-holder farming sector, had registered for the 2008-2009 season and the TRB had made tremendous strides in a bid to phase out methyl bromide in tobacco seedling production.
Tobacco seedlings have traditionally been raised in conventional bed system, where the chemical has been widely used in fumigating the beds due to its efficacy in killing soil insects, weed seeds and plant pathogens. Use of the chemical has been reduced by 30% from that used in 2001.
Under the current initiative funded by UNIDO, the TRB has trained 15 000
tobacco growers in float bed tobacco seedling production. The initiative aims to phase out 120 tonnes of methyl bromide by 31 December 2009. Under the phase out programme, 1 707 635 ozone-friendly float bed tobacco seedling trays have been distributed to trained tobacco growers including 753 638 cubic metres of black polythene plastic paper.
TRB initiated a training programme in January 2010 covering 13 areas and plans to extend the project to smallholder tobacco growers with financial and material support.
The initiative will also see provision of inputs and practical demonstrations including production of 20 000 copies of fact sheets and information on pests and diseases. Growers will also be provided with indigenous and exotic tree seedlings for reforestation purposes.
Post published in: Economy