BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA
As she leaves the tobacco sales floor in Marondera, 42-year-old Otillia Shomani is a happy woman.
For the first time in 10 years, the tobacco farmer from the Mavhezha area in Nyazura, only spent three hours at the sales floor, thanks to Voedsel Tobacco International — a contracting company that has brought smiles to many farmers.
“I arrived this morning from Nyazura, but after a few hours everything was done,” Shomani said.
In the past years it was tiresome to travel to Harare. My husband would spend weeks holed up at Boka auction floors. The contracting company took the decentralising opportunity, hence making it much easier for farmers,” she said.
Shomani said gone are the days when some husbands would “squander” all proceeds at tobacco floors in Harare.
Voedsel Tobacco International is buying tobacco from farmers in Manicaland and Mashonaland East provinces at Mashco warehouses in Marondera.
When this publication visited the sales floor, the process was smooth-flowing.
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The company’s managing director Innocent Mahufe said they were serving up to 300 farmers per day.
“The farmers are happy with the whole process. Tobacco farming is made easy if everything is in order. We give farmers everything from seed, fertilisers, land preparations to expertise, among other things. We then buy from them and deduct our money after they sell their tobacco to us,” Mahufe said.
“We have around 6 000 contracted farmers in Mashonaland East province and they are happy. We are one of the best tobacco buying companies in the country with our highest buy being US$6,60 per kg this year.”
Voedsel started working with farmers two years ago mostly from Wedza, Marondera and Macheke.
According to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board website, as of June 22, more than 94 million kilograms of tobacco had been delivered to sales floors across the country.
“As Voedsel, we value time and farmers have a ready market. After selling their tobacco, the contracted farmers get inputs as we prepare them for the next farming season, that is the cycle,” said Mahufe.
Tobacco contract farming has been finding takers with companies like Voedsel coming to the rescue of farmers.
Today, Shomani is proud of being contracted by Voedsel Tobacco International as it has made farming easier. To her, the days of hassles at sales floors are over as she has a ready market as well as securing inputs on time.