Eyesore. . . Tree stumps are a common feature in tobacco-growing areas due to the use of wood as a cheaper source of energy for curing the crop.
Tobacco:
There has been growing concern over deforestation in recent years as a result of the thousands of small-scale tobacco farmers who use wood to cure the golden leaf. The deforestation rate stands at 330 000 hectares per annum since 2008 and it is believed that, at this rate, the country’s forests will be wiped out in 52 years.
Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe (FCZ) spokesperson Ms Violet Makoto said that the rate of deforestation could well be higher. “The rate of deforestation is calculated after a period of four years and the 330 000ha we are currently using was calculated in 2008,” she said. With the number of farmers who use wood to cure tobacco increasing with each passing year, chances that the deforestation rate has surged beyond 330 000ha per annum are high.
The farmers, whose majority benefited from the successful land reform programme, are threatening vegetation as they cut down trees but doing little towards reforestation.
Statistics released by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) show that 90 percent of the 85 000 tobacco growers registered during the 2013-2014 season are small-scale farmers. Some of these farmers were allocated in woodlands that were within the bounds of white former commercial farmers and they had to clear land for cultivation and inhabitation.
The blame, however, does not entirely rest with the farmers because they are not the only beneficiaries of tobacco. Farmers deliver their crop either to the contract floors or auction floors.
Contractors seem to be more organised since part of their inputs package includes coal for tobacco curing while auction floors are the biggest culprits.
The country’s only auction floors — Boka Tobacco Auction Floors, Tobacco Sales Floor and Premier Tobacco Auction Floors — take up 50 percent of sales but they have done almost nothing towards reforestation.
Consequently, deforestation is of serious concern since the global market now requires tobacco with a traceable background. A survey by The Sunday Mail proved that all the three auction floors do not have projects targeting reforestation but were hiding behind either FCZ or Nyaradzo Funeral Services projects.
FCZ established a reforestation pilot project in Makoni district where farmers are already harvesting their wood-lot for tobacco curing this year. In the 2008-2009 summer cropping season, tobacco production stood at 58,6 million kilogrammes while in 2009-2010 the output doubled to 119 million kg.
There has been an increasing trend since then with the 2012-2013 season recording a 166 million kg output. The figures clearly show that if tobacco production were to blame, the deforestation rate could have doubled from the 330 000ha that was calculated five years back.
In a frantic bid to curb deforestation, last year, the Government passes a Statutory Instrument (SI) which stipulates that all tobacco farmers should have woodlots from which they will draw firewood for curing the crop.
However, the 2013-2014 season is the first after the introduction of the SI to assess whether it would be enforced effectively. Further, in conjunction with TIMB, tobacco seed companies are playing their role by offering eucalyptus seedlings free of charge to all farmers who buy tobacco seed yearly.
This then makes one wonder where these tree seedlings are being taken to if the tree seedlings are not planted and there is no traceability of the plantations.
In interviews, farmers said some of the new tobacco growers preferred buying tobacco seedlings which would have already germinated. A clear indication is that this group of farmers does not have access to the free seedlings from TIMB and should be educated on the importance of buying seeds from certified outlets.
They also need to be educated on the importance of tree planting. The Environmental Management Agency (Ema) is already taking action against people who are caught cutting down trees illegally by charging a fine of US$300 per tree.
However, auction floors that benefit from the existence of small-scale farmers in tobacco production are failing to play their role. The companies only did isolated tree planting projects which are yet to bear fruit.
Tobacco Sales Limited (TSL) recently held a tree planting day in Maire village, Makoni district in Rusape, where the chief operations officer, Mr Derek Odoteye, admitted that the company was launching its first project.
TSL said it was sponsoring the planting of 10 000 fast-growing trees such as eucalyptus, cypress and wattle. But the question is: is it enough to replace an indigenous musasa tree with an exotic gum tree?
They also pledged to monitor the growth of the trees. Boka Tobacco Sales Floor (BTSF) had its tree planting in the same area in June last year, where each household was expected to plant 100 trees.
BTSF joined hands with Nyaradzo Funeral Services which was planting a tree for every burial since 2010. The reforestation campaign has grown to national level.
However, little is known about what Premier Tobacco Auction Floor is doing towards tree planting. Although it was good for these organisations to work with FCZ and Nyaradzo Funeral Services in planting trees, they should start their own projects countrywide and complement each other.
TIMB says Mashonaland West has the highest number of tobacco growers, followed by Mashonaland Central while Manicaland is third. Although it is important for farmers involved in tobacco production to ensure that the country’s forests are reserved, it is every citizen’s responsibility to play a part as trees are a vital lung of the environment. – Sunday Mail
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