In the heart of rural communities, where the soil holds the promise of prosperity, we have curated a unique partnership with 8,000 plus small scale tobacco growers. By contracting directly with these farmers, we are not just producing a customized crop; we are empowering them with the tools, training, and support they need to improve productivity, enhance leaf quality, and ultimately thrive.
Through our comprehensive agricultural extension services, we provide financial support, technical guidance, and access to a reliable market for their crops. This collaboration goes beyond farming, it’s about the wellbeing and safety of growers and their communities. We are committed to supporting the land and the people at every step, ensuring their interests are protected and enabling them to flourish.
We have adopted a hands on approach to working with contracted growers. We have built a structured grower visitation program, with a team of 70 Agronomy Technicians (ATs) who regularly visit growers at key stages of the crop cycle. This ensures that best practices are followed from seed to harvest, and that our Minimum Agronomic Standards (MAS), Minimum Forestry Standards (MFS), and Agricultural Labor Practices (ALP) are upheld. By working closely with farmers, we ensure they have the right tools and insights to grow a high quality crop, helping them increase their yields and get the best returns year after year.
Our primary goal is to increase grower productivity and positively improve their livelihoods. By providing the support they need to boost productivity, achieve higher yields, and produce high quality crops, we help create a foundation for sustainable success. But our commitment doesn’t stop there. We are also focused on improving the social wellbeing of rural communities. We work to enhance access to healthcare, water, and education, while also supporting female and youth empowerment and promoting adult and financial literacy. Through these efforts, we strive to build thriving, resilient communities that can grow and prosper alongside their agricultural success.
Crop Input Provision:
We provide growers with access to resilient tobacco varieties, high quality fertilizers, agrochemicals, PPE, and other essential inputs. We also offer interest free loans for crop inputs, ensuring that financial barriers don’t stand in the way of success.
Transparency is essential in every step of our contracting process. We ensure that growers fully understand the terms of their contracts, offering adult literacy programs and clear, open communication. Our contracting process is based on both historical performance and future potential, with fair pricing and ongoing training in areas like labor laws, management, and human rights.
From seeding to curing, we provide continuous training and support, including guidance on using PPE and improving labor practices on farms. We also use technology, such as the Agromobility App and geo tagging, to support traceability, crop estimates, and real time data capture. One of our most critical goals is to eliminate child labor from the supply chain.
We ensure that safety is a top priority during harvesting, providing necessary PPE and training to growers. Our commitment to sustainability is also reflected in our environmental initiatives, including grower and commercial woodlot programs and fuel sourcing support.
We have introduced new curing barns, such as Matope barns for FCV tobacco and Live barns for Burley tobacco. These innovations improve efficiency and quality during the curing process, helping growers achieve superior results.
We don’t just help farmers grow, we also assist them in preparing their crops for market as well as transport and logistical support of themselves as well as their crop to and from our buying stations.
We are committed to providing ongoing support for growers, including access to water through borehole drilling, access to medical services, support in addressing human rights risks on the farm as well as promoting Good Agricultural Practices through provision of complimentary crops and crop rotation.
Through our hands on approach, we are not only helping farmers grow better crops, but we are also building resilient communities.