Tomato leaf miner pest cost Gwanda farmers R180 000 Farmers at Zenzele Community Garden showcase their thriving bean crop.

From Sifelani Tsiko in Gwanda

 

Farmers at Ndibe Village in Ward 18 of Gwanda rural district lost their tomato crop worth R180 000 to the Tuta absolute pest-commonly known as tomato leaf miner which tunnels through leaves.

“We had a thriving tomato crop in 2021 and it was destroyed by this disease called Tuta absoluta. In 2020, we earned R180 000 as a group of farmers but in 2020 we had a disaster. This disease wiped out our crop. We were hoping to get more than R180 000,” said Loveness Ndlovu, leader of the Zenzele Community Garden which was supported with solar-powered irrigation by Practical Action.

The disease which mainly targets tomatoes, tobacco, eggplants and cabbages is spreading rapidly in most parts of the country, leaving farmers distressed.

The farmers are not deterred and are growing a thriving garden with vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes, beans and carrots.

“We are now doing crop rotation and monitoring pests on our tomato crop. If this pest does not affect our crops we can easily earn more than 180 000 from crop sales,” Ndlovu said.

The US$2,5 million project implemented by Practical Action and funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Zimbabwe through the Swedish International Development Agency has supported the setting up of solar powered systems in gardens dotted around Gwanda to empower women and improve livelihoods.

The project has helped to improve agricultural production through increased supply of water for irrigation to gardens and irrigation schemes through solar energy.

Zenzele Community Garden is a success story and farmers have earned livelihoods and improved their own household food security by growing crops in this dry and arid region.

“Access to solar powered irrigation has helped us to increase our production of fresh vegetables, tomatoes, peas, beans and onions,” Ndlovu said.

“We are optimistic that growing other crops will help cushion us from the loss we may suffer if the Tuta disease affects our tomato crop.”

Farmers do not have adequate resources to fight the disease, but Practical Action is assisting them with good agronomic practices to help contain the disease.

The Plant Protection Research Institute of the ministry of agriculture says the tomato leaf miner moth was now destroying the tomato crop in various parts of the country.

It urged farmers to control the pest to avoid incurring huge losses.

It says farmers should ensure that they source their tomato seedlings from a clean source so that they don’t spread the Tuta.

Early identification of plant pests and diseases was key to winning the war against them.

The tomato leaf miner is reported to have originated from South America and was first sighted in Africa in 2008.

It has been reported widely in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Plant disease experts say the pest can be carried by consignments of fresh tomato fruits, seedlings, packaging materials and wind currents.

The leaf miner thrives in warm conditions and is a common virus that affects tomatoes and other crops.

The tomato leaf miner – Tuta Absoluta has had devastating impact in Africa causing total crop losses and leading to a sharp rise in tomato prices.

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