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“When my wife and I came here, it was virtually a jungle. We called this place Matovanyika because in the beginning it was very difficult and we slowly worked the land little by little as if we were treating an abscess,” said Richard Jenami at a field day held on his farm in Mhangura. The field day aimed to demonstrate how a tobacco grower can achieve climate change resilience through use of drip irrigation and improved technologies for curing tobacco.

Speaking during the field day, TIMB chairperson Mrs Monica Chinamasa reiterated the need for all who are involved in agriculture to put in place necessary measures to mitigate the negative effects of climate change as it continued to threaten agriculture.

Mrs Chinamasa encouraged small-scale tobacco growers interested in the drip irrigation facility to make enquiries at TIMB offices in Mvurwi, Marondera, Chinhoyi, Karoi, Rusape, Bindura and Harare.

“We arrived here on May 22, 2002, and there was nothing. “We used to sleep in the car. All the structures you see here, were built by us. It was a struggle but we thank God. Now Matovanyika is a brand,” Jenami narrated his journey.

“We are the old McDonalds kind of farmers as we produce everything and that includes tobacco, maize, soya beans, groundnuts, cattle, goats and pigs.

“In line with Zim-Asset, we try and do some value addition hence we sell packaged and branded peanut butter and mealie meal,” he added.

“We have structured our farm into two distinct areas, namely the farm work area as well as the entertainment area where our staff and workers from neighbouring farms come and refresh themselves through music and drinks. Our aim is to dispel the notion that living on farms is boring.

“For these different areas, we have separate books of accounts since we treat our farming venture as a business,” Jenami said.

At the beginning of this current season we sent our soil for testing and the results showed that it was acidic hence we were advised to add lime to it.

“We have three hectares of irrigated tobacco and half a hectare under dryland. So as not to put our eggs in one basket as well as to ease pressure on our curing facilities we separated our land into three blocks and planted the first block on September 28, the second block on October 10 and the third block which has the dryland crop on October 27.

“We planted KRK26 seed variety, used higher analysis blend basal fertiliser cup number 24, and Ammonium Nitrate cup number five one week after transplanting.

“We irrigated the crop using drip irrigation sponsored by TIMB. To date, we have received 750mm of rain since the start of the rainy season and this has ameliorated the development of the crop.

“I encourage fellow farmers to continue to strive to build this country; food security at household and national level begins with us. This is, however, only possible if we take farming as a business.

“Initially we didn’t have adequate curing facilities and our tobacco was turning yellow. I want to thank TIMB for being a knight in shining armour by constructing rocket barns for us.

“We will maintain the hectares we put under tobacco in the meantime and concentrate on improving the quality of tobacco we produce.

“My father taught me, a river’s flow is as a result of its tributaries hence I urge fellow farmers, let us continue to share information and to work as a team.

“I am currently on reap number five and I have converted our warehouse on one side. I am using household fans, and have also converted a chicken run into a grading shade.

“Gone are the days when farmers expected things for free, there is nothing for free. Let’s pay back loans, let’s not side market, let us not be greedy if we are going to be successful farmers,” said Jenami, who is contracted by Mashonaland Tobacco Company.

Jenami is one of the beneficiaries of the drip irrigation as well as rocket barn facilities which are being extended to tobacco farmers by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board.

These loan facilities are payable over two farming seasons and are extended to farmers who have been farming tobacco for at least two seasons.

For one to qualify for the drip irrigation facility, they need to have a water source such as a borehole, weir, river or dam whilst for the rocket barn facility one needs to have at least 10 000 farm bricks.

Trainings on curing, grading and marketing are ongoing and farmers are encouraged to contact their regional offices and take advantage of the trainings conducted at no cost to the farmer.

In preparing for the marketing season, farmers are encouraged to plan with their return trip back to the farm in mind and not come prepared to sleep at the floors.

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 WhatsApp 0731999999 or E-mail: [email protected]