By Simbarashe Sithole
Sungura legend Nicholas Zacharia is set to meet his fans in Mvurwi who are going to be dominated by Tobacco farmers tomorrow.
The show is being hosted at the Shamwari Joe Hotel.
The hotel is prominent for hosting big musicians for years and many farmers squander their money at the venue.
Shamwari Joe hotel owner Barbra Mukombwe said she is happy that both farmers and musicians are meeting at her venue.
“As Shamwari Joe, we are happy that both musicians and fans chief among them farmers are meeting at our venue, especially this tobacco-selling season,” she said.
“We are looking forward to a thunderous show tomorrow.”
Mukombwe promised to continue bringing big musicians to her venue.
In other news, Senior agronomist Lazarus Gatawa has renewed calls for farmers to remove tobacco stalks before the onset of the upcoming seedbed production phase.
Some tobacco farmers ignore the law and best advice of destroying tobacco stalks after reaping, allowing tobacco re-growth, which results in the spread of pests and diseases.
All farmers are expected to comply because the danger of non-compliance by one farmer is that diseases and pests will still affect the next compliant farmers.
In an interview, Gatawa said tobacco farmers are currently delivering the crop to the floors, but as they do so, they are being urged to destroy the living plants left in the fields.
Farmers are also being advised to embrace crop rotation and hygienic practices in seedbeds for effective eradication and prevention of the spread of pests and diseases. Pests that can be prevented by stalk destruction include aphids and mealybugs. Diseases that will be prevented include Angular leaf spot, Black shank and Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV).
Gatawa said the Plant Pests and Disease Act (CAP 19:08) makes it mandatory for farmers to destroy all living tobacco plants by the May 15 deadline every year and failure to do so attracts a heavy fine. Farmers should also buy tested disease-resistant seeds from reliable sources like Kutsaga.
