Tobacco Farmers Recount Endless Poverty With The Cash Crop

By Shingirai Vambe

Met in a private taxi from Riverside, Tambudzai Manguyo (27) together with her sister-in-law coming from Rusape, where they had left their husbands, looking very exhausted, without having taken a bath and falling asleep along the way back to Odzi. Genuinely offered water to drink and asked if everything was ok and if they had given the crying baby something to eat, before galloping the second sip of Vivo bottled water, the tears ran dry and responded, we are coming from the tobacco floors.

The journey to the tobacco floors had been a long and arduous one for the two women. They had spent days preparing their tobacco crop, from planting to harvesting, and finally, they had made it to the floors to sell their produce. However, their excitement was short-lived, as they soon realized that the returns on their hard work were not what they had expected.

“We produced 21 bales of tobacco, and we were expecting a good price,” said Tambudzai. “But unfortunately, after selling our tobacco, we only got USD $7,000, and we owed the contractor USD $8,000. We were left with nothing but a USD $1000 debt.”

The two women explained that the tobacco industry was a challenging one, with many farmers struggling to make a profit. They spoke of the long hours, hard work, and dedication required to produce a successful crop, only to be let down by the low prices offered by contractors.

“We’re not just farmers, we’re also businesswomen,” said Ropafadzo. “We need to make a profit to support our families and communities. But with the current system, it’s hard to break even.”

The women also spoke about the exploitation of farmers by middlemen, who offer low prices for their tobacco, only to sell it to the floors at a much higher price but appreciating the fact that they don’t have much of a hassle as they need no time and labour to bale and select it “It’s unfair,” said Tambudzai. “We’re the ones who do all the hard work, and yet we get paid the least.”

As they continued their journey, the two women couldn’t help but wonder what the future held for them. Would they continue to struggle in the tobacco industry, or would they find a way to break free from the cycle of poverty and exploitation? They spoke of the need for change, for a system that would allow them to earn a fair price for their hard work.

The conversation with Tambudzai and Ropafadzo highlighted the challenges faced by small-scale farmers in Zimbabwe. Despite the hard work and dedication, many farmers struggle to make a profit due to low prices and exploitation by middlemen. The story of these two women is a testament to the resilience and determination of farmers in Zimbabwe, who continue to work hard to provide for their families and communities.

A visit by this publication at the floors in Rusape, exposed a number of issues, including the afforestation fee which relevant offices, the Forest Commission bemoaned as The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion has failed to attest by failing to adequately and timeously disburse funds to the Forestry Commission regardless of its contribution to the fiscus through tobacco farmers.

Vendors and traders told this publication that for food vendors it was an early Christmas, while for selling household goods and properties, it was not business as usual during the tobacco selling season as compared to previous years.

“With the little or more money they would have received after the sell, one is forced to focus on the next season and or buy his priorities, house hold, building and food while saving for the villagers waiting to receive their payments for cutting, picking and bailing the sold tobacco,” said one food vendor.

“What will you say, how is that possible for one to accept that they did not bring any money, knowing the hardships in rural setup of Zimbabwe, schools being opened and struggle to put food on the table,”? asked Ropafadzo.

“Next season will try another crop, maybe sunflowers, this tobacco thing is just for big A2 farmers with dams and irrigation system, able to produce over 5 truck loads with half of the total being for the expenses and the remainder being profit and inputs for the next season,” added Ropafadzo.

A seasonal tobacco Farmer, Dr Chipunza told the Post On Sunday that tobacco was a good crop for serious farmers who are able to insure their tobacco in case of any emergency. However, The government with insurance companies in Zimbabwe, has introduced the Index Based Insurance, a tool to compensates farmers in the event of a loss measured by indices relating to specific risks, often climate related losses that may affect a farmer’s yield.

Indicators typically include rainfall or extreme temperatures. Such as, the amount of rain received within a certain window is linked to a percentage yield decline for farmers in a specific area. Should the amount of rain fall below or exceed the established thresholds, a payout is triggered to compensate farmers for anticipated loss. This approach can also introduce efficiencies for the insurance company, as they do not need to visit the farmer’s fields to assess potential losses.