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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 22784, member: 2262"] In a generous move, KUTSAGA Research Station has cut the price of tobacco seedlings in half for farmers. The cost has gone from $430 to just $215 for each hectare. This is great news, as the last day to plant is December 31. Kutsaga shared the exciting update on social media. They said farmers should hurry to get the seedlings at this low price before they run out. The KRK70, KRK74, and KRK66 types are ready to go in Harare and Banket. However, some farmers are worried because their seedbeds don't have enough water. They wonder if they can still grow tobacco this year. Mr. Richard Nyachowe has farmed tobacco since 2007. He said he's never had such a hard time with water. His seedlings are okay for now, but many others have died. He wants to make a water well next year to help. Mrs. Viola Mushongahande told a similar story. Farmers dug small wells where a dam used to be. They wanted to water their seedlings. But even those wells are dry now. She asked the government and others to please help farmers plant tobacco. The local Agritex officer, Mrs. Charity Mapira, agreed that the heat and lack of water hurt the seedlings. Buying cheaper seedlings from Kutsaga could be a good idea for some farmers. But they might need a special payment plan since they don't have much money right now. Farmers who use float trays for seedlings are doing better in the dry weather. Float trays cost more to start with, but they use less water over time. The government has a big plan to make the tobacco industry worth $5 billion by 2025. They want to grow 300 million kilograms of tobacco and export more cigarettes. But a drought this year means there will only be about 236 million kilograms. The country still hopes farmers can grow 300 million kilograms this season. [/QUOTE]

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