The ManicaPost
Moffat Mungazi
Agriculture Reporter
AS part of efforts to curb production losses and circumvent the limitations of barn capacity for tobacco farmers, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has introduced a new method of curing the crop – the natural air curing system (NACS).
The initiative is aimed at preventing farmers from losing marketable quantities of the golden leaf and is in line with the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation plan that seeks to increase production and productivity.
In an interview, TIMB public affairs officer Mrs Chelesani Tsarwe said they have partnered Atlas Agri to spearhead the NACS – also known as chigaffa – across the country and ensure its sustainability.
“All along, we have been producing flue-cured tobacco but a farmer’s tobacco may ripen all at once and the existing curing facilities may not accommodate all the ripe tobacco. Instead of letting it rot in the fields, a farmer can do chigaffa and reap their tobacco into the NACS.
“Once cold colouring is complete, the tobacco can either be moved into the available brick barns or moved into tacks that would have been erected for natural curing or sun curing. NACS significantly reduce farmers’ post-yield losses and ultimately improve farmer viability, profitability and sustainability,” said Mrs Tsarwe.
She said the introduction of this natural virginia product to the country’s tobacco industry is in line with the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation, which places the farmer at the heart of the initiative and seeks to improve productivity and sustainability.
Added Mrs Tsarwe: “By producing natural Virginia tobacco, which is a more sustainable product using more natural systems, we believe the local tobacco industry will generate a wider range of qualities for customers on the global market. This will create demand and encourage investment for the ultimate longevity of the Zimbabwean tobacco industry.”
The objective of this initiative, said Mrs Tsarwe, is to explore the potential for more sustainable tobacco production through NACS methods, which use less fuel or consume fewer natural resources.
She added that introducing new systems and practices will help address side marketing.
“Farmers’ cost of production will be reduced, thereby increasing profitability and reducing the temptation to side market the crop,” said Mrs Tsarwe.
