HWEDZA - Jacob Bvunzawabaya, 38, from Magwaza Village, is an innovative farmer who turned his pole and dagga hut into a temporary tobacco barn to cut costs. He could not afford a formal standard barn and resolved to modify the traditional family hut kitchen to meet an immediate commercial need.
As communal farmers we struggle to make ends meet and constructing a formal and standard barn remains a challenge. So, every tobacco harvesting season I convert my family pole and dagga kitchen into a barn.
We did not take advice from the Environment Management Association to plant gum trees and other easy to grow plants for future use as tobacco drying firewood. Our area no longer has enough trees for the purpose and anyone caught cutting down the remaining trees would be liable for prosecution, said Bvunzawabaya.
Rural District Councils introduced coal selling projects to help ease the firewood shortage and protect bushes from deforestation. The initiative was not embraced by tobacco growers as prices of the coal were beyond reach of many farmers. A cubic meter of coal was selling at US$30.
Communal tobacco fields ranged from an acre to one hectare. Harvested tobacco would be easily processed in a hut turned barn. Three standard cattle drawn scotch-cart loads of firewood would be enough to dry a seasons harvest of
tobacco.
Since the economy adopted the multiple currency system, tobacco growing had become too lucrative to ignore.
Like other tobacco farmers, Bvunzawabaya, lived to regret ever selling tobacco through the auction floors during the 2008-2009 selling season. Mismanagement of the economy by the then ruling Zanu (PF) was at its height. The reserve bank was printing worthless paper as legal tender and inflation was spiralling out of control.
Helpless tobacco farmers were paid for the crop in worthless vouchers which were not honoured at banks. Hardworking farmers were left in a devastating dilemma. The Reserve Bank literally robbed us of our tobacco, Bvunzawabaya
said with a twisted face.
Good days for farmers are in sight as the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board, TIMB, began decentralising tobacco auction floors to help ease problems faced by farmers at the countrys few auction floors mainly in Harare.
New tobacco floors are expected to be opened this selling season in smaller towns such as Marondera and Rusape among other green leaf growing towns. Selling price for the green leaf is also expected to be attractive this year given
that the crop will be sold to outside buyers.
Post published in: News