Mr Clement Chizela farms in the Mpongwe district of the Copperbelt Province in Zambia and has grown tomatoes for over 20 years. During a recent visit it was noted that Mr. Chizela was planting many different varieties including Tengeru Select and hybrids from various suppliers. At this stage, John Kayula from the ARATIS project introduced him to Trinity, a leading hybrid from Starke Ayres. In January 2023, Mr. Chizela planted a 1Ha block to Trinity. Harvest commenced in the 2nd week of April and continued through to late August. An excellent crop was produced and according to him Trinity is the best tomato hybrid he has planted in his 20 year tomato journey. This is indeed a glowing recommendation for one of the fastest selling tomato varieties in Zambia. Among the features that have made such an impression, Mr Chizela highlights the following:
• Numerous clusters with over 10 fruits per cluster. This is attributed to the short internodes typical of Trinity.
• Consistent performance during the rainy season with no incidences of cracking.
• Trinity produces medium sized fruits from the first truss to the last.
• The remarkable yield over 5 months of profitable harvesting and a maximum weekly yield recorded at 800 30kg boxes from the 1Ha block. Trinity exhibited remarkable resistance to both fungal and bacterial diseases. This is important in the rainy season and Trinity remained healthier than some other varieties claiming similar tolerances.
During a recent visit in October of 2023, Mr Chizela had already planted two hectares of Trinity for the new season and intends to increase this to 5 hectares before the rainy season begins. If all goes well this will increase further in following seasons. Thank you Mr. Chizela for trusting Trinity and showing that Starke Ayres provides the Seeds of Success!
