Tobacco farmers urged to do reaping, curing processes correctly to ensure good leaf quality

Small-scale tobacco growers are being urged to take heed and cure the remaining crop properly to boost the quality factor and fetch higher average prices.

Senior Agronomist Lazarus Gatawa said,

"Now that the Tobacco marketing season has been announced by TIMB, some farmers are making many blunders in the reaping and curing process. It is the top 6 to 8 remaining leaves of the tobacco plant that are of high value because of their robust nicotine, starch content and more body than the lower cutters, lugs and prime leaves. So farmers should try their best to reap and cure these top leaves with minimal shortcuts."

"Some farmers are reaping leaves that are not uniform by mixing ripe ones with over-ripe (called banana) and putting them in the same barn. Some farmers also overpack their barns with too much tobacco not in sync with barn capacity," he added.

However, there are farmers who are also tying too many leaves per station on their clips or strings. These operational mistakes greatly compromise the final leaf quality. Overpacked barns, too many leaves tied on one clip or string station and mixed reaps produce more sponge, cement and mambara leaf style which are of low quality. Some farmers are also rushing the curing process by over-firing their furnaces leading to gazi-moto leaf style which fetches low price per kilogram at the floors.

Farmers are being urged to only reap uniform leaves and discard over-ripe ones from the plant to the ground, tying only 2 leaves per station on the clips or strings. Barns should only be packed to capacity to enable air circulation and free upward movement of the air current in the barn. Air vents must be well positioned where the top vents should always be left open to allow the moisture pregnant air to move away from the barn. The current moist weather is resulting in more humid atmosphere hence farmers should ensure that top and bottom vents are big enough to allow good air inlert and outlet. Air movement into and out of the barn at this current stage is very critical and farmers are being encouraged to seek guidance from their nearest Extension Officers on air vents management.

Farmers with good quality leaf will fetch high average prices at the floors as the buyers' appetite for high quality leaf styles will be high. So growers are advised to take heed and follow the correct reaping and curing steps as the marketing season draws closer.