He said harvesting for the dryland was expected to start mid-February.
Mr Mamhare added that farmers with the dry-planted tobacco crop must concentrate their efforts on weed and pests control, suckers and toppings removal to ensure maximum crop health.
Mr Mamhare revealed that Manicaland planted 10 254ha of tobacco compared to 9 000ha last season.

"The condition of the crop is very impressive. We have one of the best tobacco crops in the country and we want to advise our farmers to continue taking maximum caring of the crop to get the best out of it."
Mr Mamhare said the bulk of the best crop was in Makoni District which accounts for 7 794ha.
Mutare has 1 181ha; Mutasa 432ha; Nyanga 99ha; Buhera 19ha; Chiping 17ha and lastly Chimanimani with 12ha.

Buhera has hit the 23 000 hectare mark of maize compared to 11 000ha last year, the third in the province after Chimanimani (86 000ha) and Makoni 51 123ha.
"Makoni is the top district in terms of planting; and we want to urge our farmers to avoid mixing the leaves from different stages. Primings, lungs, proper leaf and tops must never be mixed at any stage, be it during the curing process or storage.

“This is to avert grading complications as well as to improve the quality of the leaves during the curing process," explained Mr Mamhare.
He said about 52 tobacco farms whose curing is solely dependant on electricity were grouped into four clusters, namely Headlands, Rusape, Nyazura, Odzi-Nyamazura and Odzi-Grange so that power outages in these areas are minimised.

However, Mr Mamhare warned other farmers of the danger of cutting down trees to cure the golden leaf.
He said farmers must resort to other sources of fuel like coal, electricity or plantations that do not accelerate land degradation and deforestation in their respective communities.
Tobacco farming is synonymous with serious environmental damage as thousands of hectares of forest are cut down each year for the tobacco industry.

Substantial amounts of wood are used for fuel in tobacco curing, drying the leaves of the plant.
In some dry climates, it is possible to leave the curing to the elements, but in Zimbabwe wood-burning is mostly used.

"We do not want to see a situation where plenty of forests and woodlands are cut down to cure the tobacco crop. Farmers must use coal or electricity for their curing purposes, and not indiscriminately cut down indigenous trees. We must conserve our forests and farmers whose barns are designed for woodfuel must buy timber from forestry companies and spare the indigenous trees," said Mr Mamhare.

Tobacco farmers usually prefer indigenous trees like Mutondo, Mupfuti, Musasa and Muunze trees, which have become endangered species.
The farmers prefer woodfuel because it is cheap and readily available in their communities without taking cognisance of the ecological consequences of their actions.