Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
THE Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) has started implementing its transformation strategy aimed at unlocking higher value for farmers and improving lives of marginalised communities.
The State enterprise has a mandate to ensure maximum land utilisation. To achieve this, management has crafted a transformation strategy that anchors the organisation to fully play its part towards realisation of the Government’s upper middle-income economy by 2030.
Arda chief executive officer, Mr Tinotenda Mhiko said the authority’s transformation strategy was set to benefit the rural communities.
He said Arda has now been structured into several units to effectively carry out its mandate and establish the company as a vehicle for industrial development at irrigation schemes.
“Under our rural development and industrialisation, we are sitting on 26 000 hectares and it is our wish that we commercialise this and treat agriculture as a viable business unit,” he said.
“We are also going to be processing post-production incentives where we will give farmers something on top of the market price as a way to motivate them.”
Mr Mhiko said Arda was largely focused on tapping into various beneficiation and value addition opportunities through schemes that assist the farmers to realise maximum benefits from their produce.
“The Government has also come on board through the provision of the necessary infrastructure at various irrigation schemes across the county,” said Mr Mhiko.
Arda is into partnership with private sector players, which has enhanced production capacity and widened job opportunities. This has seen estates such as Antelope in Matobo, Ingwizi in Mangwe and Jotsholo in Lupane posting improved output both under rain-fed schemes and irrigation.
Midlands Provincial Irrigation Engineer, Mr Shingirirai Zano said time for massive transformation in the agriculture sector was now and called on farmers at irrigation schemes to take a leading role in food production.
“In Mberengwa we are reviving the Chamakudo Irrigation Scheme. We are also working on the 24-hectare Chaora block Irrigation Scheme at Mataga. Kwekwe is another area of interest where we are reviving the irrigation schemes there,” said Eng Zano.
The revival of irrigation schemes is critical for the Midlands province whose districts are prone to droughts.
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