Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza
Herald Reporter
IN just a week, 90 farmers at Bubi-Lupane Irrigation Scheme in Matabeleland North Province will be smiling all the way to the bank as they start harvesting a promising winter wheat crop.
The scheme, commissioned by President Mnangagwa in 2021, breathed new life into a decades-old project that had been struggling to survive.
For communal farmers from Gwamba Village in Ward 18, it was a lifeline that transformed idle land into a thriving greenbelt.
Among the 90 plot holders are 52 women and 38 men, who have been increasingly contributing to the country’s strategic cereal reserves over the past four years. Working in partnership with the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA), they have successfully shifted from subsistence to commercial farming.
This transformation has improved livelihoods and restored hope in the semi-arid district. A combined harvester from ARDA has already been mobilised to reap 120 hectares of winter wheat. Scheme chairperson, Mrs Sinikiwe Moyo (53), said they expect an average yield of four tonnes per hectare despite water challenges.
“We had a broken pipe, which affected irrigation, but we still managed to cover 120 hectares of winter wheat. We are optimistic about harvesting four tonnes per hectare,” she said.
“This is an all-year-round project where we also grow maize, butternut and sugar beans.”
The scheme sources its water from the Bubi-Lupane Dam, although breakdowns of pumping infrastructure remain a concern.
“Whenever a major feeder pipe bursts, we have to call in the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) to repair it. That slows us down, but we push on,” added Mrs Moyo.
Last week, samples of the wheat were sent to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) laboratory in Lupane for testing.
“We expect to start harvesting in a week. ARDA has already brought its combine harvester on site, so we are ready to start harvesting,” said Mrs Moyo.
For the community, the impact has been life-changing.
“We no longer struggle with school fees for our children and grandchildren. The scheme has transformed our lives. We are grateful to the Government for supporting us with inputs and fertiliser,” said Mrs Eva Ncube (50).
Situated in Mpofu Village under Chief Mabhikwa, the 200-hectare Bubi-Lupane Irrigation Scheme has become one of the flagship Government projects under the Second Republic.
Once barren land, it now stands as a model of rural industrialisation and development in line with Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy.
In 2021, the scheme was chosen as a pilot project for an integrated business model, which the Government aims to replicate across 450 irrigation schemes across the country.
Peter Tanyanyiwa