Brian Rungano Temba
Masvingo Province, an Agro-Climate Zone 4 state with minimal rainfall and mostly suited with cattle ranching and small grain growing, is looking at 85 000 hectares of irrigable land thanks to Government’s dam and irrigation scheme building exercise.
This turn of fate for the Province of Masvingo comes on the back of consistent efforts by the Second Republic under the stewardship of President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, to ensure nutritional and food security for Zimbabweans.
Speaking at the ZANU-PF Provincial Co-ordinating Committee Meeting in Masvingo, Minister of Provincial Affairs and Devolution and Provincial Chairman Cde Ezra Chadzamira said the province is yet to witness agricultural development like never before.
“We shall see a lot of Agricultural Projects in Masvingo province, especially in Chiredzi, Mwenezi and Masvingo Districts. This is due to their proximity to water reserves and irrigation schemes,” said Hon Chadzamira.
Minister Chadzamira confirmed that in Masvingo district 3 000 hectares has been budgeted under NDS1 to be irrigated under the Mtilikwi Upstream irrigation scheme.
“This water will irrigate a green belt all the way from Roy turn off to Bikita,” he added.
The Mushandike irrigation scheme which has be under renovation will now be serving 3 200 households from the initial 800 households it used to service before Government embarked on the project.
“Mshandike irrigation scheme will now add to its threshold, Chivi North and Chivi Central, drawing its water from Muzhwi Dam in Chivi. The feasibility study on this project is already underway,” said Minister Chadzamira.
In Chiredzi, the Chilonga Irrigations schemes Phase 1, 2 and 3 will benefit over 12 000 ha that shall be utilized by members of the community and investors.
“At the Airport in Chiredzi 4 000 ha will be opened for the community by Government, while in Mwenwzi, 25 000 ha will be put under irrigation,” added Minister Chadzamira.
Tugwi Mukosi, with a full capacity of 1,8 billion cubic meters, was initially billed to irrigate around 25 000 hectares, but advances in irrigation technology over the years have pushed estimates for irrigable land to over 40 000 hectares.
Masvingo is set to become greenbelt and the nation’s irrigation hub courtesy of the water reservoirs and irrigation schemes.
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