Zimpapers Logo

Elita Chikwati Senior Agriculture Reporter
Farmers’ Development Trust executive director and the first black principal for Chibero Agricultural College, Mr Lovegot Tendengu has died. He was 63. Mr Tendengu died on Tuesday at his Norton home after a long illness. He was well known for his contribution in the agriculture sector particularly the tobacco industry where he pioneered farmer training programmes.

He was described by many in the tobacco industry as a hardworking and outspoken knowledgeable cadre who stood for farmers rights and contributed with positive criticism. Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board communications manager Mr Isheunesu Moyo yesterday said Mr Tendengu was a TIMB board member from 2008 to 2011.

“His name is synonymous with the development and establishment of training centres for small-scale tobacco farmers. He encouraged farmers to get into tobacco farming,” he said. Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union director Mr Paul Zakariya yesterday said the death of Mr Tendengu was a sad loss for the agriculture industry and the ZFU.

“Our relationship with Tendengu dates back to the early 90s. He, with other progressive minds, in collaboration with the ZFU came up with business models that would train young tobacco farmers, raise financial support from financial institutions and line up mentorship prog- rammes.

“He was very instrumental back then presenting these models as options for the land reform agenda. Beyond that, through FDT, where ZFU has remained on the board since its inception, thousands of young tobacco farmers have been trained,” he said. He said Mr Tendengu’s guidance, relentless lobby and advocacy work brought numerous breakthroughs for tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe.

“He will be remembered for all his practical actions in seeking to empower young farmers to actively engage and take up commercial tobacco farming,” he said.