obacco is one of Rhodesia’s main crops, and the income generated by it has provided the means for clearing thousands of acres of virgin bush for arable farming which otherwise would have had little value. It has also provided the capital for developing these farms and opened the way for general or mixed farming in areas which otherwise could never have been used for this purpose.

n 1964 manufactured flue-cured tobacco contributed 30 per cent of Rhodesia’s net exports, and its value amounted to $70,000,000. In that year there were 2,700 growers producing 300,000,000 lb. of tobacco from a quarter of a million acres.

ost of the annual crop is grown in the light sandy soils of Mashonaland where reliable rainfall can be expected. Soils must be well-drained for maximum growth and yield. Flue-cured tobacco is grown from 3,000 to 5,000 feet above sea-level and in areas of rainfall above 25 inches per annum.

all tobacco barns are prominent features on many farms. The auction floors in Salisbury are electrically computed and so organized that 500,000 lb. can be sold in an hour. By virtue of its world-wide reputation for quality and presentation, the Rhodesian crop has made the country one of the world’s major potential exporters. The production and handling of tobacco provide employment for many thousands of people.

obacco-growing is an extremely intensified business, requiring a high degree of management, and much labour and capital. The crop has to be tended round the clock during the curing season to ensure the high standards of production which are necessary to meet the demand of world markets.

s an industry, tobacco stands on the threshold of great potential due to the unflagging efforts of the dedicated scientists and research workers of the Tobacco Research Board of Rhodesia which has benefited every tobacco producer in the country. The industry has weathered many vicissitudes in the past and, if the political atmosphere allows, Rhodesia can increase her tobacco production to a target of 400,000,000 lb. a year.

frican participation in the growing of burley and oriental tobacco is increasing as peasant agriculture climbs from subsistence level to a cash economy.