Sunflowers are known for their ability to thrive in hot weather
By Cliff Chiduku
WEATHER forecasters have predicted that Zimbabwe will receive below normal to normal rainfall, associated with extreme weather conditions such as heatwaves and dry spells during the 2023/24 season.
That said, farmers should reflect long and hard on this and come up with appropriate actions through customised agricultural practices in the face of an imminent El-Nino phenomenon. The El-Nino is expected to affect Africa in varying degrees.
The government has responded by adopting key touchpoints dubbed Adaption, Mitigation and Action (AMA) – our armour against the effects of climate fluctuations.
“Whether we have El-Nino or not, we have a formular for climate proofing and producing food. Government is working tirelessly in building resilience, through programmes such as climate-proofed agriculture, Pfumvudza/Intwasa,” Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development permanent secretary Prof Obert Jiri said recently, urging farmers to select crops suitable for their agro-ecological regions in fighting climate change.
Farmers should play ball by making deliberate decisions such as prioritising the planting of drought resistant crops going into the 2023/24 summer cropping season. The promotion of small grains such as millet, sorghum, rapoko and cowpeas has become topical due to their drought tolerant characteristics.
However, sunflower is one value chain that is often overlooked, but can come in handy in the face of climate fluctuations.
Sunflowers are known for their ability to thrive in hot weather. This characteristic makes them well-suited for cultivation in regions or times when unfavourable weather conditions are anticipated. Sunflowers are cultivated for their seeds, which are a valuable source of oil and food. Their adaptability to hot weather conditions is a result of their traits, which enable them to withstand high temperatures and drought stress.
Sunflowers have mechanisms to cope with hot weather, such as a deep root system that allows them to access water from deeper soils during dry periods. Additionally, sunflowers have developed efficient water-use strategies which means they can tolerate hot temperatures by adjusting their internal processes. These adaptations make sunflowers resilient in hot climates, allowing them to thrive and produce high-quality seeds even under challenging environmental conditions.
The Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA), which facilitated Zimgold’s entry into sunflower farming, is calling on other private players to invest in the production of small grains through contract farming arrangements to spur production and productivity along this value chain.
The company, which has since set up an oil processing plant in Chegutu, is looking at contracting more than 40 000 hectares across the country. CBZ and AFC banks are other contractors of sunflowers, targeting a hectarage of 3 000 and 2 000, respectively.
For the 2023/24 agricultural season, the government has set up a national target of 160 000 hectares to be put under sunflower production with a target output of 150 000 metric tonnes.
“Sunflower is an important crop in edible oil production, especially at this time when the country is staring an El Nino phenomenon,” Zimgold supply chain manager Zach Mupachike said.
He said farmers should embrace sunflower production because the crop is drought-tolerant.
The promotion of sunflower production fits into government’s thrust of diversification of foods sources and the growing of crops according to agro-ecological potential to increase production.
Estimates indicate that Zimbabwe requires between 50 000 tonnes and 70 000 tonnes of sunflower per year.
If the hectarage put up under sunflower by Zimgold is anything to go by, it seems sunflower has once again found its place at the top of preferred cash crops.
Contract farming guarantees farmers markets and capital to buy inputs. A guaranteed market will also minimise post-harvest losses. Local farmers can now seamlessly produce enough for national consumption. Zimbabwe needs 150 million litres of cooking oil per annum.
The country has ideal climatic conditions for sunflower production. The crop thrives even in drier parts of the country. It has immense benefits that arise from a low input cost, short growing period, less labour costs, and tolerance to dry conditions.
A sunflower farmer in Chegutu was optimistic despite prospects of a drought in the coming season.
“Since we were told that the country is going to receive below normal rains this year, I have to increase my sunflower hectarage. One of the advantages of sunflower is that it can thrive even when there is moisture stress and is also an early maturity crop,” Chipo Moyo said.
There is a consensus of the need for improved higher-yielding varieties. Seed companies have a role to play through providing the best yielding varieties with a high oil percentage. Local seed manufacturer, Mukushi Seeds says its variety, Veronica is ideal for most areas in Zimbabwe. This variety has an average of 52-53 percent oil.
Sunflower production is lucrative. Currently, the average market price of sunflower is US$400.00 per tonne. The crop has several uses that include manufacturing of edible oil expression, livestock feed and confectionery products. Sunflower cooking oil is of greater quality as compared to oil from soya and cotton. Its market price is also higher than available alternatives.
On the production front, the international average yield for the crop stands at 1,6 tonnes per hectare and with good agronomic practices, farmers can surpass this. Russia is largest global produce of sunflower. Argentina, European Union, China, India, Turkey and South Africa are all significant producers of sunflower.
Zimbabwe could benefit from import substitution, food and nutrition security and employment creation if it increases its sunflower production. The potential is evident.
Word From the Market is a column produced by the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) to promote market-driven production. Feedback cchiduku@ama.co.zw or WhatsApp/Call +263781706212.
