THE Tobacco Sales Floor (TSF) once again hosted the TSF Tobacco Grower of the Year competition with Oils Essen, which was among the winners last year, walking away with the top prize. Oils Essen, a company in Mashonaland East, sold at least 114 900 kilogrammes of tobacco at an average price of US$3,53 per kg, earning US$405 618. With a farm size of 200 hectares, Oils Essen had 40 hectares of tobacco with an average yield of 2 873 kg per hectare. The company received a tractor.
Addressing guests at the ceremony, Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board chairperson, Monica Chinamasa, said for 2012, tobacco revenue was expected to contribute at least 15 percent of the total foreign currency earnings after a successful 2011/2012 marketing season. "On average, tobacco alone provides direct and indirect employment to an estimated 200 000 people, which represents five percent of the total labour force in the country or 25 percent of all formal employment," Chinamasa said. She added that 2012 had been a very successful season and farmers fetched historic prices averaging US$3,65 per kg by the end of the selling season in September. This was a 34 percent increase on 2011 prices of US$2,73 per kg.
During the 2012 marketing season, tobacco prices at auction peaked but failed to break the US$4,99 per kg barrier, regardless of quality and style, while contract prices soared to unprecedented highs of US$5,90 per kg. "While the crop size is now on the increase starting in 2010, we still have ample room for improvement to reach the national threshold of 200 million kg," Chinamasa said. The industry has therefore recovered from a record low of 48 million kg in 2008 to 144 million kg in 2012, with an even much better performance expected in 2013. Tobacco Sales Limited, which owns TSF, revealed that the company would embark on a tobacco grower scheme during the 2012/2013 season. This scheme is meant to promote production of quality leaf tobacco by both large scale and small scale growers.
TSL chairperson, Antony Mandiwanza, said the company had made available scholarships worth US$ 50 000 to aspiring children or to small scale farmers that sell through TSF, to study tobacco production and marketing at Blackfordby Agricultural Institute. Other winners at the ceremony included Tigere Estates of Mashonaland West which came second, winning a roam disc after selling 50 211 kg of tobacco at an average price of US$4,17 per kg, netting a gross income of US$209 455. Third place went to Justin Mutasa of Mashonaland West who sold 38 777 kg of tobacco worth US$ 168 882 at an average price US$4,36 per kg.
Tongai Patrick of Mashonaland Central was in fourth position after having sold 40 680 kg of tobacco worth US$168 707 at an average price of US$4,15 per kg. In the medium scale category first prize went to Nehemiah Nyamurowa of Mashonaland East after earning agross income of US$ 119 264 from 31 279 kg of tobacco. Sergio Bure of Mashonaland Central came second followed by Solomon Mutake and Elizabeth Chishaka.
In the small scale growers, Emmanuel Gwazo of Mashonaland Central scooped the top prize after selling 16 000 kg of tobacco worth US$58 391 from his five hectare plot. He walked away with a grinding mill. Other winners include Spiwe Mavhusa of Mashonaland East, Wimbisai Masu of Manicaland, Baron Mabwerere, Gladys Maramba and Shadreck Chamboto. The TSF grower of the year competition is meant to promote both quality and quantity of tobacco production, with the hindsight of changing farmer demographics in the production of tobacco.
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