Diaspora Matters

In an interview carried by The Sunday Mail today, interesting facts came up. The Ministry of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises and Cooperatives Development carried out  small survey in Mbare where they established that Mbare has a daily circulation of $1 million dollars. Interesting isn’t it? To some of us this is not new because in 2015 The Standard once carried a story where it was discovered that Mbare Musika generated $24 million in revenue in 2014.

The latest survey covers Mupedzanhamo, Siyaso and Mbare Musika.One million is no child’s play and the interesting thing about it is that we even have big companies participating on the vegetable markets with some offloading poultry eggs on  a daily basis.

We  hope to follow up on this story in the coming months and find out who the big players are at Mbare markets.

Cabbage, known on the streets as “Musoro wembudzi” or “ Inhloko” in vernacular is quite popular with most vegetable vendors and ultimately consumers. Cabbage has an amazingly huge demand with over 200 000 heads of cabbage being sold each day collectively across various markets in Harare, to the business minded farmer this translates to thousands of dollars in profit and hence is a great business opportunity as the crop is one of the easiest to grow and less demanding in terms of resources.

When is the best time to grow cabbages?

Cabbages can be grown all year round in Zimbabwe generally, but the best time to grow cabbages with ultimate profits is during the winter season, May – July however try to make sure that severe winter temperatures catch the crop when it is now mature as seedlings are prone to frost damage and mature plants can withstand temperatures as low as -3 degrees. Winter period is appropriate as cabbage fetches one of the best prices during this time, 50c to 80c/ head average size. Usually volumes are generally low during winter pushing the prices up and the farmer should take advantage of this and move volumes. On the technical side during winter time your agro chemicals bill is less by 36 % which translates to thousands of dollars saved as compared to cropping in summer.

How much do I need to start up?

Perhaps before I get into the numbers business that we are all interested in, it is best to emphasize that one needs to employ experienced staff members or at least have the workers trained by a professional agronomist prior to cropping in order to maximize on quality. On average an investment of 4 000 USD/ha is required this includes variable costs. I know most of you reading this article by now are saying 4 000 USD is a bit steep, wait a minute there is a positive side for every dollar invested expect between 4 – 6 USD in return. In simpler terms you invest 4 000 expect roughly about 10 000 -12 000 USD after taking into consideration possible losses this is a good figure which should send you smiling to the bank.

How important is quality in cabbage production?

Quality is of utmost importance when growing cabbages this is what will make a difference in terms of the farmer making a profit or a loss. A good example we always tell our clients at Agro Aid Trust is that for every cabbage head that has a coin size hole due to pest damage is equivalent to 1 cent reduction in potential price. This point just stresses the importance of a good pest management program when growing cabbages going back to the issue of experienced staff being crucial.

How long does it take before I harvest?

This depends on your choice of variety, early maturing 75 -85 days, medium 75- 110 days and late maturing 80-120 days roughly. Most farmers prefer the early maturing variety and the most common amongst our farmers is the early maturing variety Starke Eyre’s Star 3311 hybrid which has outstanding yield properties meaning in three months’ time you will be able reap the rewards meaning that within a space of 1 year you can crop 4 times on the same piece of land which translates to huge figures in profit.

What are the most common challenges in cabbage production?

Most farmers make the mistake of producing quality crop in huge volumes but do not have the pre requisite market to absorb their produce often resulting in losses. It is advisable to first investigate and gather enough information about your market before cropping to avoid this scenario. Another common challenge is that of poor quality produce, the chief culprit being pests which damage the leaves , it is very important to have a strict spraying program that is adhered to religiously in order to manage and control the pests.

It is very important to emphasize that cabbage production is a volumes game. The more cabbage you produce the more returns you make. Established farmers will tell you that for example you may produce a truck load of cabbages e.g in lay man’s terms a T35 truck but only realize a profit of 300 USD after deductions of transport etc but if you send a load of a Nissan UD truck you realize a profit of roughly 1 000 USD.

In the next article we will go deep into the production technicalities of cabbage so be sure to visit this page.

Emmanuel DN Dube is the senior agronomist at Agro Aid Trust, if you have any questions please email him on agroaidtrustzimbabwe@gmail.com +263783 495 396

by Shikoh Gitau

A story is told of a technology company that creates and deploys life-saving mobile phone services. Based in Cape Town, this technology company developed a revolutionary technology with a mission to assist community health workers from the local township to better monitor their HIV-positive patients. The mobile application fulfilled all the usability requirements; it was easy to use, adoptable to local language, and solved a vey specific use. On launching the services, it was a flop. Further studies indicated that, while all the technical and social requirements were met, and community health workers were excited at the prospect of using it, they were not using it. The question there was: What had gone wrong?

Before I explain, I will share another anecdote. Recently I was engaged in a heated discussion on the role of technology for development. The mostly older, Western-educated male audience, while largely reluctant to adopt technology in some areas, was open to the idea that technology could make a difference, which came as a pleasant surprise to me. However, that is as far as the pleasantries reached, because the next statement was, “Women, Technology, Rural and Africa… what do you mean? That is an oxymoron! We should just forget that and invest on the urban youth, those are the catalyst to development, and they are the future.” This statement sent a chill down my spine. Is it really an oxymoron?

One thing is clear, African women remain largely unaccounted for in the technology sector. The gap in all spheres – leadership, labour force and usage – is wider than the world average. What is causing this digital gender gap? Is it lack of the correct technology? Is it lack of relevant content online, or is it due to the long-held myth that girls are just not good enough to pursue science, technology, engineering and math, the so-called “STEM careers”; nor to use technology, much less in the technological field? But the even bigger question is: Can anything be done to reverse this trend?

In January, the African Development Bank, hosted an invigorating roundtable with the theme “Women and Technology: Increasing Access, Use, Employment and Leadership” in the Bank’s South African Resource Centre (SARC). The roundtable brought together the visiting delegation of TechWomen, with some of the leading voices for women and technology in South Africa. TechWomen is a US State Department-funded program, whose goal is to increase the number of women technology entrepreneurs in the global south through training and mentorship. The delegation was made up of senior women in leadership in the Silicon Valley.

The objective of the roundtable was to discuss ways in which the represented companies, organizations and individuals would approach the issue to increase the holistic participation of women in technology. Everyone at the table was already a converted advocate and activist on the issue. However, the questions raised included: What are the similarities in challenges across the Atlantic? What lessons can be learned from each of the experiences? And what are the possible areas of collaboration and partnership?

The issue of cyber security, especially for young girls who were accessing the Internet for the first time, was a cross-cutting theme. The participants, especially those who were mothers, voiced concerns about how to ensure the safety of their children online even on the simplest of phones.

There was also a discussion around education and possible policy, curriculum and structural interventions to attract and retain the number of women who pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) from grade school, through to tertiary institutions. Pointing out examples such as Harvey Mudd College, which has seen an increase of women taking computer science. Additional actions suggested was close collaboration with governments, and special incentives to universities to increase the number of women pursuing STEM.

A major source of discussion was the design of technology and, as one participant pointed out, “it is very hard for an all pale male design team, to have the perspective of a mahogany female” referring the design teams of many of the widely used technology. The context that determines if an African female will be a technology user is complex concoction of culture, socialization, infrastructure and education, to mention just a few. These are issues that may not all be well understood through a survey or usability studies, but rather through a real-life experience and only an African woman could fully express her perspective, and those of women like her. It was therefore pointed out that there is a need for more African women to either be creating the technologies, or to be part of teams creating technology.

Adoption of some of the suggestions that came out of the discussion is a priority for the Bank. These included the creation of special internships and scholarship tracks to catalyze the increase of women in the workforce, working with governments and educational institutions to adopt some of the best practices to ensure that they attract and retain women in the STEM fields of work, and supporting women to innovate and start their own technology businesses. It is important to demonstrate why women and especially rural women should be using technology. For instance, women form over 60% of the Africa rural population, are responsible for approximately 75% of the agricultural labour, and produce 60% to 80% of the food^[1]. Evidence shows that, if they had the same access to productive resources including technology as men, they could increase their yields, raising total agricultural output, in turn reducing the number of hungry people in the world. Finally, there is the case of role models: showcasing some of the women who are already working in the STEM fields on the continent is important to motivate young girls, who otherwise lack someone to look up to.

Going back to the story of community health workers in South Africa and the live-saving application I started with, Lerato, a 32-year-old community health worker who lives in Gugulethu, has to walk to work in Khayelitsha Township, where Siba and her family lives. Siba is one of the 15 families affected by HIV under Lerato’s care. The daily commute through the the sprawling township is not safe. To ensure her safety, Lerato often disguises herself by wearing a cloth on her head and conceals all her valuables in her undergarments. The team that created the community health worker application did not take into account the commute and the safety measures that Lerato has to undertake. Further testing did not uncover why the Lerato was not using the service. But when a new design team took over the project, a woman in the team took only a day to discover the problem. The mobile phone that held the application which was issued to Lerato was too big. It could not easily fit into her bra.

Numerous metal objects and other items were used as currency in Africa. They are as follows: cowrie shells, salt, gold (dust or solid), copper, ingots, iron chains, tips of iron spears, iron knives, cloth in various shapes (square, rolled, etc.). Copper was as valuable as gold in Africa. Copper was not as widespread and more difficult to acquire, except in Central Africa, than gold. Other valuable metals included lead and tin. Salt was also as valuable as gold. Because of its scarcity, it was used as currency.

North Africa

Islamic North Africa made use of the Almoravid dinar and Fatimid dinar, gold coins. The Almoravid dinar and the Fatimid dinar were printed on gold from the Sahelian empires. The ducat of Genoa and Venice and the florine of Florence were also printed on gold from the Sahelian empires.

West Africa and the Sahel

Cowry money

Cowries have been used as currency in West Africa since the 11th century when their use was first recorded near Old Ghana. Its use may have been much older. Sijilmasa in present-day Morocco seems to be a major source of cowries in the trans-Saharan trade. In western Africa, shell money was usual tender up until the middle of the 19th century. Before the abolition of the slave trade there were large shipments of cowry shells to some of the English ports for reshipment to the slave coast. It was also common in West Central Africa as the currency of the Kingdom of Kongo called locally nzimbu.

As the value of the cowry was much greater in West Africa than in the regions from which the supply was obtained, the trade was extremely lucrative. In some cases the gains are said to have been 500%. The use of the cowry currency gradually spread inland in Africa. By about 1850 Heinrich Barth found it fairly widespread in Kano, Kuka, Gando, and even Timbuktu. Barth relates that in Muniyoma, one of the ancient divisions of Bornu, the king’s revenue was estimated at 30,000,000 shells, with every adult male being required to pay annually 1000 shells for himself, 1000 for every pack-ox, and 2000 for every slave in his possession. In the countries on the coast, the shells were fastened together in strings of 40 or 100 each, so that fifty or twenty strings represented a dollar; but in the interior they were laboriously counted one by one, or, if the trader were expert, five by five. The districts mentioned above received their supply of kurdi, as they were called, from the west coast; but the regions to the north of Unyamwezi, where they were in use under the name of simbi, were dependent on Muslim traders from Zanzibar. The shells were used in the remoter parts of Africa until the early 20th century, but gave way to modern currencies. The shell of the land snail, Achatina monetaria, cut into circles with an open center was also used as coin in Benguella, Portuguese West Africa.

Some of the currencies used in the Sahel included paper debt or IOU’s for long distance trade, gold coins, and the mitkal (gold dust) currency. Gold dust that weighed 4.6 grams was equivalent to 500 or 3,000 cowries. Square cloth, four spans on each side, called chigguiya was used around the Senegal River.

In Kanem cloth was the major currency. A cloth currency called dandi was also in widespread use.

Source: Wikipedia

When I wanted to tour Mozambique for the first time last year in March,  I  visited a medical  doctor for a yellow fever injection. I had heard that malaria is a big issue in Mozambique and one needed to take precautions. So the doctor asked me why I wanted to visit Mozambique during Easter Holidays? I confidently replied his question and said I wanted to explore business opportunities in Mozambique. I was curious about this country which rarely gets good coverage . The doctor laughed at me and said ‘There is nothing in Mozambique, there is no industry, the citizens are some of the poorest in the world’ He advised me against going to Mozambique as it was a waste of time and resources.

I did not heed his advice though, as someone who had made up his mind, i proceeded with the trip. I wanted to find out how poor Mozambique is and whether there are any opportunities in the so called  ‘poverty stricken’ country.

Correcting the Misconception on Mozambique

Let me correct the perception of Mozambique as a poor nation, the correct fact is that Mozambique is not poor at all. They have a lot of resources from minerals, marine, tourism potential, service industry and agriculture. It’s a matter of time before the correct policies and all stakeholders work together for the betterment of living standards of Mozambicans.

Who are the people we found in Mozambique?

When we visited the city of Tete in Mozambique we found different types of citizens in the city or cidade. The first group is made up of local Mozambicans, the second group is made up of Zimbabwean nationals, the third group is made up of foreign nationals from countries such as Portugal, Brazil, Philippines and other European and Asian countries. The last group is made up of adventurous South African investors.

So each and every group has its own needs that need to be met. For instance Zimbabweans working in mines need education for their kids and they prefer English Speaking schools. An opportunity for an investor looking to invest in education. The European and Asian communities have different tastes when it comes to food, clothing, entertainment and other needs.

A person advising you on opportunities in Mozambique is likely to miss out some of the opportunities we found when he or she says Mozambique is poor! The question is who are you targeting? The South African investor building shopping malls in Tete will not agree with you, The South African investor targeting tourists by building chalets on the shores of Indian Ocean will strongly disagree with you.

The same scenario applies to Zimbabwe, someone targeting tobacco farmers will tell you a different story when it comes to investment-a profitable venture! Someone targeting the NGO sector with goods and services may not agree with you when you say there are few opportunities in Zimbabwe. Someone who supplied fertiliser for the Command Agriculture programme will not share the same view of Zimbabwe as a place of few opportunities. ZBIN members on the Mining Forum will not agree with you when you say there are no opportunities in the gold mining sector. Someone with a business that benefits from Diaspora remittances will vehemently deny that business is low in Zimbabwe.

So food for thought to you all, it is good to have a general view or macro view of a country but is advisable to dig deeper and find out opportunities on the ground. It is important to establish who are the people involved in business, who are the people buying goods and services and then tailor make your strategy accordingly.

* Did you see our manual on starting businesses in Mozambique? You can read or download it from this site.

The latest post from Dr Strive Masiyiwa has generated a lot of debate amongst ZBIN followers especially on our popular Whatsapp Groups. We bring the post back by popular demand. It has a lot of truths in it and we can all learn from it especially on the need to protect business information. Mutumwa Mawere in 1997 once said ‘Do not publicly disclose a deal until its clinched up’

The Return of the #BuffaloHunter
__Shhh! Don’t be an amateur!

Many years ago I was on a flight, and sitting there I listened to two guys in front of me speaking in hushed tones. As I listened carefully, I realized they were from a competitor company discussing a very interesting opportunity that I had not heard about! Wow!

As soon as I got off the plane I did two things: First of all, I moved in quickly and took over that deal from right under their nose. To this day, they don’t know what happened! No regrets on my part, those were fools!

Second, I told my people, never, ever, open your mouth about what we are doing in public. Don’t discuss business issues whilst on the phone in public, and don’t sit next to each other on the plane or bus!

It never ceases to surprise me how careless people are about what they are doing. Some just do it to boast, and those ones I won’t talk about here! (We don’t have the boastful type on this platform.)

When I was a graduate student at university, one of my engineering professors asked me to help him on a criminal court case where he was an “expert witness.” We had to set up an experiment to demonstrate that a person who claimed to have overheard a confession could not possibly have heard it from where they were. It was a very technical sound engineering experiment at the time. Through that work I learnt not to say too much in public…!

Actually a good entrepreneur does not talk about what they are “planning to do” before the business reaches the customer. If you must, talk about what you have “already done.” Otherwise keep quiet.

This is a principle I try to use all the time. When you get into serious business, your competitors are constantly studying what you are saying or doing. It’s not just a question of being accidentally eavesdropped by the guy sitting behind or in front of you on a plane…

And don’t make the mistake of assuming certain people are harmless by observing the way they’re dressed, or even their age, or gender. You can make a deadly mistake through thinking someone is not important!

There are also detractors who, whilst not being an actual competitor, are consumed by what can best be described as a “spirit of jealousy” and will go out of their way to destroy or impede the work of others, even though there’s no gain for them. It’s part of life, so don’t give them the ammunition they need.

Some time ago, I wrote a series about how you protect your plans, and Intellectual Property (IP), including ideas and inventions. Go back to it, and study it carefully.

Even on this platform, please avoid giving details about what you are “planning” or “thinking” about, without taking adequate measures to protect it in the professional manner. Don’t send or publish business plans to people.

It is like leaving your wallet on a counter in a bar!

Our business forum obejectives are to enable members to have access to information and resources about business opportunities. We also help members to have access to capital and markets. We have done exceptionally well in the provision of information and resources to our members and followers. We however have not done much in terms of one of our objectives which is the promotion of business partnerships.

The initiative on partnerships helps to unlock value in cases where some of our members have thriving businesses but lack capital for expansion. Through the forum, we connect members with thriving or promising business ventures with those with capital.

We have previously shared with our members, a list of members with businesses who are seeking investors. Today we come back again and feature one of our members in detail. The member who is in the grain milling business provides us with details as below:

Two weeks ago we covered 6 areas where Zimbabweans are spending their monies on. The good thing is that after the publication of the article, OK Zimbabwe posted financial results which showed an 800% increment in profits when compared to the previous period. Dear reader, can you give us any sector in Zimbabwe which records an increase of 800%?

On our article  we covered the 6 areas where Zimbabweans are spending money on as:

1. Food
2. Education
3. Accomodation
4. Transport
5. Medical Aid and
6. Entertainment

Today we were at High Glen Shopping Centre in Harare and decided to check out opportunities at the once busy shopping mall. We decided to use the ‘6 area benchmark’ to see whether the 6 areas we mentioned indeed exist on the ground.

Results

The situation at this Old Mutual owned property is quite sad as most businesses have closed shop. We believe that 80% of businesses have left the shopping mall with high rentals being a major factor. Business is low and will remain low into the short to medium term. The only businesses that are operational are in the following sectors:

1. Retail: Choppies Supermarket

There is one major retail shop at the shopping mall which seems to be enjoying brisk business in the middle of gloom and doom at the centre which is characterised by empty shops. This is one of the main areas at the centre which is busy and does not show any signs of financial distress.

2. Retail: Delta Distribution Centre

The Delta Beverages Distribution is another centre where all seems to be going on well. There are always a lot of trucks queuing to buy soft and alcoholic drinks.

3. Medical Industry

Medical chambers were open; Pharmacies well stocked and Medical Laboratories owned by CIMAS were open. This area does not show any sign of distress and will open shop without distress in the short to medium term.

4. Financial Sector: Banks and Micro-finance Institutions

This is one area where we witnessed a lot of activity with many people queuing to withdraw cash especially at the ZB bank. The only microfinance institution open is Micro king.

5. Clothing Industry

Most shops that sell clothes have closed their doors and the only major shop that remains open is TOPICS and a few small boutiques.

6. Other: There is one pub open, one hardware, not more than 2 butcheries and a few small hair salons.

Most furniture shops closed shop, there is space for a retail shop which was previously occupied by TM Supermarket.

Potential at High Glen Shopping Centre

The catchement area of High Glen is huge and the catchment area includes Budiriro, Glenview, Mufakose, Glen Norah, Glenview, Kambuzuma and Highfields. These areas have a combined population of more than 200,000 residents and so there is no reason why this shopping centre  should be a white elephant!

The cross border bus stop is a welcome initiative that will help drive traffic to the centre. The centre has excellent parking space and the newly resurfaced tarmac shows that Old Mutual has big plans for the shopping mall. For anyone thinking of investment, there is need to draft a good business plan that has a 12 months planning horizon. The plan should consider rental as a huge cost driver which has to be settled in advance.

Sectors that provide opportunities include the 6 areas that we covered especially in the areas of medicine (consider a herbal shop), entertainment (soccer betting), micro finance lending, entertainment (video games for kids), Sports and Fitness (gym), transport-vehicle spare parts, and another promising business idea (this writer will pursue it).

So we confirmed the areas where Zimbos are presently spending their monies on. We confirmed this at High Glen Shopping Centre this morning. If you are planning on investment and your planning horizon is 24 months and less, then it is advisable to look at the 6 areas we covered in our survey. It is not all doom and gloom when it comes to investment in Zimbabwe-for some you may need to follow the money-where is it coming from, where is it being spend and where is it coming from?

We also hope that Old Mutual will have a relook at their rentals and take into consideration current prevailing conditions in the economy. It is really disheartening to see a lot of closed shops because this represents lost income, lost jobs and lost opportunities-the opportunity cost is extremely high! All stakeholders at the centre should work together to make the shopping centre attractive so that they can bring back the ‘zing’ to the shopping centre because it has great potential as demonstrated in the past.

Until recently, the Forex market was a closed market and trading activities were confined to the “big boys” like the banking sector, the multinationals and the hedge funds. However, with new technological advancement, small retail investors now have the opportunity to participate in this lucrative market as well with online Forex trading. So what is online Forex trading? Essentially online Forex trading is the trading of one currency for another through the use of the internet. The Forex market is actually the largest financial market in the world and it is an over the counter (OTC) market. This means that there is no centralized location like the New York Stock Exchange from which trading activities must take place. Because of this unique aspect of the Forex market, with online Forex trading, one can deal in Forex from any place in the world. In addition, with online Forex trading, it is possible to trade in Forex around the clock five days in a week without having to leave the house. Online Forex trading differs very much from the traditional method of transacting financial instruments in the sense that most trading activities are more or less self-service. With a properly equipped computer and internet access, a trader will be able to basically determine what to buy, when to buy and how much to buy with just a click of the mouse. In addition, the speed with which your orders are executed is almost instantaneous as you will be using a trading platform that is provided by the Forex brokerage firm. Apart from the above mentioned, there are also several other advantages with online Forex trading as compared to the traditional brick and mortar way of trading Forex. One of these other advantages is the lower transaction cost that you will incur with your online Forex trading. As online Forex trading is self-determined by the trader himself, the brokerage firm will be able do away with other higher cost services and just concentrate on “volume based” business strategy by lowering their cost to attract more business. And to help their clients determine what a good buy is charting tools are usually provided on the online trading platform for those who engage in online Forex trading. Once analysis of the Forex market is completed with the charting tools, an online Forex trader will also be able to program his market analysis into the trading platform and automate his transaction activities. It is for these few reasons that online Forex trading is now gaining popularity over the rest of financial activities that retail traders previously usually went for. Online Forex Trading Systems The most important part of a trading system is the stick to the rules and criteria that you put in place. There is no point in spending time and effort creating your system, to then be caught up in the moment and forget everything that you have planned.

Zimbabweans and Online Forex Trading

A lot of Zimbabweans are involved in Online Forex Trading and this has been facilitated by the availability of the internet at affordable rates. The major advantage is that one can deal in online forex trading from the comfort of their homes.

Online Forex Misconception

Most people are not aware of what is involved in online forex trading. The first thing that comes to mind is that online forex trading is Illegal or it involves the buying and selling of forex on the street the way it is done at Road Port in Harare. Not enough information is available to most people with some thinking that it is a Ponzi scheme similar to MMM which collapsed at the end of last year. What makes the situation worse is that there are few people or institutions that can teach Online Forex Trading in a simple way so that first time users can understand.

Who in Zimbabwe can trade online forex?

Traditionally the field has been reserved for finance professionals but with improvements in technology and accessibility of information now everyone can trade provided you obtain sufficient training. You just need to put in some effort in understanding the basics and get mentors and begin your process of trading. Over the last few years professionals with backgrounds in Engineering, Nursing, Teaching, Procurement etc have been participating in the online forex trading field. You just need to get the basics and apply your skills on demo accounts before going live.

How to study Online Forex Trading

Learning to trade online forex trading is expensive with fees ranging from $150-$300. The fees are usually high because trainees would have been equipped with life skills on income generation. Some have been known to resign from their work places inorder to participate on online forex trading. ZBIN is however not a profit making institution which is why we provide training at rock bottom fees or free. Our objective is to enable our members to have options when it comes money making ventures.

How much capital do you need?

You can fund your account with as little as $10 or $250 depending on the broker used. Brokers such as Hotforex allow deposits such as $10 and other brokers such as CM Trading allow a minimum of $250 to be deposited before one starts trading. As a forum we highly recommend Hotforex because of the $10 minimum capital injection required.

How do you withdraw Profits?

You can withdraw profits from your local bank and it is done through transfers, some brokers provide bank cards for withdrawing profits. People attending our training sessions have been able to see evidence of some who have traded and withdrawn profits.

The above picture shows profits and losses from one of our online forex trading members. The trading happened on Friday and our member made profits of $202.41. This was over trading on his part because he usually makes daily trading profits of between $20 and $30. Please note that the profits could have been losses too-no profits are guaranteed in online forex trading!

Learning from Others

New traders can learn on their own through reading material on the internet, videos on Youtube or popular sites such as www.babypips.com. However learning on your own takes a lot of time which is why it is recommended to get professional training. At ZBIN we have a platform for sharing of information, question and answer sessions and opportunities to meet other traders. We will track our initiative that is coming on the 1st of June and share with our members.

Last ZBIN Online Forex Training

The photo above shows some of the 20 members who received free online forex trading in Harare 2 weeks ago. This is the group whose results will be tracked by this forum. Most of them first time traders and coming from various professional backgrounds such as Nursing, Police, Engineering, Accounting, Procurement and Banking. Our follow up training which will be handson is scheduled for next week Friday from 3:00pm to 5:00pm.

Tomato production or Red Gold production as I like to call it is one of the most lucrative horticultural ventures that a small and upcoming farmer can venture into. Tomatoes fetch prices as high as 20 USD/crate at peak with the average small holder farmer delivering 100 to 800+ crates in a week that translates to reasonable income compared to all other horticultural crops.

1. Who can grow tomatoes?

Just like any other crop tomatoes are one of the most delicate crops that really require a lot of pampering and attention and therefore they require a dedicated individual in terms of time, skill, resources and passion once you have these you good to go.

2. How much skill do I need to grow tomatoes?

If you intend to grow tomatoes on a small or large scale one need to have a reasonable amount of skill and knowledge in order to run the venture as a profitable business. If you are to employ farm workers it is vital to employ workers who have experience growing tomatoes or better still have the workers trained before the season starts and at every vital growth stage of your crop by a professional Agronomist.

3. When is the best time to grow tomatoes

In Zimbabwe it is not recommended to grow this crop in frost prone areas as the plant is very susceptible to frost damage at times resulting in a100 % loss to the farmer. If you are in a frost prone areas it will be advisable to put up a green house to protect your crop or put up polythene barriers around your field in the direction of the prevailing wind, the latter will reduce the damage but not protect your crop. Most farmers in Zimbabwe are encouraged to plant their crop between August and January as most varieties will last between four and six months in the field being harvested again this depends on the area and variety. If your area is not prone to frost with proper planning you can harvest your crop well into winter June/July which is the time when some of the best prices are reached

4. Common challenges

Just like any other business you are bound to face certain challenges that are unique to tomatoes, Most common question is how do I control these bugs eating my tomatoes. Well, first one needs to be able to identify the pest as here are thousands of bugs that can attack your crop, which goes back to the issue of employing trained staff or receiving adequate training for yourself and your staff. Proper chemical handling , mixing and application is another challenge that farmers meet resulting in under application or over application of a chosen chemical resulting in chemical resistance by the pest emerging and poor yields.

5. Which varieties can I grow?

The variety of choice will depend upon a number of factors which include shelf life ,size, market preference etc. It is very important to ask before you purchase the seed about its qualities, disease resistance, pest resistance, shelf life etc. A good example is the Sakata Discol F1 variety it is a high yielding variety , with very big tomatoes with a good shelf life of up to 17 days post-harvest however this variety is prone to late and early blight as well as red spider mites which can adversely reduce the potential yield.

6. How much do I need to start up?

Careful planning is required when intending to grow tomatoes, How much one will need will depend on the proposed hecterage. It is important to note that with tomatoes you will have a waiting period of 4-6 months before harvest begins and during this time the crop will require a lot of prophylactic chemicals, fertilizers, and herbicides etc which are heavy on the pocket so before you put seed into the seed bed make sure you have the required financial resources. The upside of the story is that the returns in tomato production are tremendous for every dollar invested expect minimum 5 dollars in return.

Emmanuel D.N Dube is the senior agronomist at Agro Aid Trust, for your questions don’t hesitate to contact him on agroaidtrustzimbabwe@gmail.com / 0783 495 396