Embrace sustainable tobacco production, farmers urged
AGRONOMISTS have advised tobacco farmers to grow their crop in more sustainable and environmentally friendly ways owing to a proposed ban on the golden leaf by the European bloc.
Last year, the European Union (EU) reportedly gave Zimbabwe two years to grow tobacco more sustainably or face a ban from exporting the crop to the regional bloc.
The ban follows the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), an international treaty that came into effect in 2005 to ban and control tobacco as a health hazard.
Such a ban could hurt tobacco exports a crop that generates hundreds of millions of United States dollars annually and is one of the largest foreign currency earners.
Speaking during a recent tobacco field discussion day organised by research body Kutsaga, agronomist Themba Pilime said farmers should grow tobacco sustainably.
“We are looking at sustainable tobacco production. We are showcasing the trials that we have conducted in conjunction with the private sector so that we come out with the best solutions for growers to make tobacco production sustainable,” he said.
“So, in this trial where we are standing, we are basically in a trial where we are testing different soil conditioners and bio-fertilisers for tobacco production. They restore your soil health and minimise excessive use of mineral fertilisers.”
He said Kutsaga wants to ensure that the soils remained healthy for the next crop of tobacco, maize, wheat or any other crop they planted.
This paper understands that the purpose the trials is to focus on maintaining soil health and productivity to allow the crop to grow more sustainably.
“What we want to do is to maintain the soil health so that the soil remains healthy for a long time or a lifetime,” Pilime said.
He added that some soils had become less productive over time because they lost organic matter and soil micro-organisms, which were essential for soil fertility and crop growth.
“In this trial, we are looking at the use of soil conditioners that actually promote the growth of micro-organisms that are actually symbiotic with tobacco crops and also aid the crop itself to take up water and to take up moisture and nutrients more efficiently,” Pilime said.
“We are aware of the WHO FCTC, the conditions that they have imposed on tobacco production to try and reduce the use of tobacco. But here at Kutsaga, we are also doing trials on other crops like medicinal cannabis and hemp so that farmers can have alternative crops just in case there is a total ban.”
The push to grow tobacco sustainably comes as the industry is being blamed for releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year, which contributes to global warming.