Online Reporter
Victor Maphosa
Mashonaland East Bureau
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has directed that 25 000 hectares of land should be irrigable by 2030, and a US$19 million revolving fund has been availed to the Agricultural Rural Development Authority to support the initiative, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka, has revealed.
He made the revelation recently during his tour of Mushangwe Estate in Marondera, Mashonaland East Province, which is being run under ARDA.
Mushangwe Estate, the minister said, has not been functioning at full capacity, but now all the irrigation equipment needed to resuscitate it was being installed.
Currently, ARDA is irrigating about 2 500ha nationwide, and more needs to be done to ensure the nation is food secure.
“ARDA currently irrigates about 2 500ha and the President has directed that 25 000ha be irrigated by 2030. About US$29 million revolving fund has been availed to ARDA and Mushangwe Estate here is one of the first 23 Estates that will be fully irrigated.
“So I am pleased with the commencement of the irrigation works and I believe that by 2030, the 25 000ha will be irrigable,” Min Masuka said.
Minister Masuka said he was optimistic that the Mushangwe Estate will do much better come winter season.
“Here at ARDA Mushangwe, we are seeing them resuscitating the estate. They have not been doing any farming here in a very long time but the President has invested in this irrigation scheme to enable ARDA to play its role as the food security agent for the nation.
“This is their first crop in a very long time. I am pleased with what I am seeing. I hope that they will be able to do much better for winter. Definitely ARDA would be able to do what we want them to do
ARDA operations director Rural Development and Industrialisation, Mr Washington Katiyo, said they are now working around the clock to ensure the set targets are met.
“ARDA has been given some targets to meet in terms of the strategic grain reserves and for us to be able to meet the targets that have been set by the Government, we are expanding in terms of irrigation systems.
“As you can see here at Mushangwe we are now rehabilitating the irrigation system and we are now irrigating about 80ha. But we are moving to expand irrigation systems to other estates.”
“We are also expanding in terms of the farmers that we are working with so that we will be able to augment in terms of the number of hectares that we are planting for both winter and summer,” said Mr Katiyo.
Meanwhile, Minister Masuka has saluted farmers in Mashonaland East province for their commitment to national food security after they surpassed their summer farming targets.
The province has planted about 240 000ha of maize against a target of 225 000ha, while small grain farmers surpassed the 35 000ha target and are currently above 40 000ha.
Satisfactory planting of traditional grains was recorded in the northern districts which are Mudzi, Mutoko, Murehwa and Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe.
In an interview on the sidelines of his tour of Mushangwe Estate, Minister Masuka said he was happy with the crop he had seen in the province.
“We are happy with the crop and the response by farmers here in Mashonaland East province. The farmers have beaten their maize targets by 11 percent. They have also beaten their sorghum and tobacco targets and they are doing extremely well. The only target they did not surpass is the soya beans target.
“The crop condition is good, they require drop dressing fertiliser (which we are mobilising), especially on the sandy soil,” he said.
He called on farmers to work on containing weeds to ensure crops growth is not disturbed.
“We urge farmers to get on top of the weeds and also the fall armyworm. Here at Mushangwe Estate, there is resuscitation of the irrigation system, they have not been doing any farming for a long time but the President has invested in this irrigation scheme to enable ARDA to play its role as the food security agent for the nation.
