The newly initiated shisha tobacco marketing season in Zimbabwe has been successful so far, with farmers selling 263 bales worth $97.9 million at an average price of $4.40 per kg and the highest price at $5.40 per kg, reports The Herald.
Some farmers have expressed that they will increase their hectarage next season based on the positive sales so far this season.
“I recommend farmers to grow this type of tobacco; no curing using firewood,” said Victor Mariranyika, president of the Tobacco Farmers Union Trust. “Hence it is cheap to cure. Farmers need to maximize production since air is the major source of the drying energy. Shisha tobacco production is a welcome development.”
Special handling of shisha tobacco is required, however. “The tobacco needs very special attention because the plant or the leaf is very thin, so if you don’t carefully handle it, the leaf itself breaks,” said Jayson Scott, a Marondera farmer. “I have delivered 15 bales, and if everything goes well, I will increase hectarage.”
The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has licensed Cavendish Lloyd Tobacco to support shisha production in the country.
This season has been a chance to learn and develop a better shisha crop, according to Chelesani Tsarwe, a TIMB public affairs officer. Tsarwe said the target is to expand shisha production in slow-growing areas and to encourage more growers to produce shisha as it presents better opportunities.
“Desirable shisha tobacco should have a clean leaf, but the produce from fast-growing regions tends to have spots,” Tsarwe said. “Growers in these areas should take agronomic advice seriously in order to improve leaf quality and fetch better prices. Good agronomic practices are key to quality and better productivity.”