A local company, Globereach Agro Limited has contracted 5,000 farmers nationwide to produce sesame.
According to the local company, this move is in the pursuit of boosting production of sesame to improve the livelihood of farmers, uplift standards of living and contribute towards the well-being of the economy. The farmers are contracted for one hectare of the crop and the company has not yet moved to commercial farmers.
The Chief Executive Officer of Globereach Agro, Mr. Decent Chitsungo, said they were contracting farmers to do one hectare each to ensure proper management of the crop. “Our farmers are growing it as an organic crop, and it gives an attractive premium,” he added.
He further stated that “If done at a large scale, the crop may end up requiring use of chemicals for pests and disease control. The crop is also labour intensive during harvesting. A hectare of sesame gives a yield of 600 kilograms, and some farmers are getting way above that. Some farmers in Chiredzi are getting 1, 2 tons per hectare.”
Mr. Chitsungo urged farmers to do small plots so that they can harvest the crop quickly. “Harvesting should not be delayed as the crop can be wasted in the field or it can get contaminated. Actually, we harvest just before the sesame dies,” he stated.
He noted that the company is working very hard to add value to the sesame when they are produced. “We are working on establishing a processing plant in Muzarabani and Gokwe so we can produce bottled oil. We believe when we double production, we create employment,” he revealed. He went further to say that the production of sesame will help in the manufacturing of stockfeeds.
He disclosed that many farmers who were growing sesame were exporting them to Mozambique where they were sold at lower rates. “Besides been ripped off by the foreign buyers, farmers will also be depriving the country of the foreign currency,” he said. He however, encouraged local farmers to deal in local trades.
According to Mr. Chitsungo, sesame is on high demand at the international market. He indicated that the company has been producing sesame since last year and they have exported 2,500 tons to South Africa. He however revealed that the company is looking at diversifying its market share into Europe.
Aside, the production of sesame, the company revealed that it is aiming to be of the key producers in the cotton industry. “We will be contracting farmers to do both cotton and sesame. For a farmer to benefit from the sesame seed, he or she should have done a hectare of cotton,” he stated.
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