adminBANANA farming like any horticultural agronomy is an intensive farming activity with money-spinning potential if done properly.This has become the success story of the Mutema and Chibuwe irrigation schemes in Chipinge.
During a field day at the two irrigation schemes in Chipinge organised by the leading banana farming and marketing company, Matanuska, several smallholder farmers under the Matanuska Smallholder Farmers programme spoke glowingly about their life changing experiences since they started banana farming in 2011 under the smallholder programme.
To-date, the Chibuwe and Mutema irrigation schemes have approximately 40 hectares and 60 hectares of land under bananas.
Before the programme was initiated in 2011 by Matanuska and its funding partner Zimbabwe Agricultural Income and Employment Development programme under the USAID’s programme, the arable land in the hot, dry Chipinge rural land had become idle with farmers failing to make use of the land after the canal irrigation structures in place had been destroyed over the past years.
However, Matanuska and Zim-Aied came to the rescue and restored the irrigation system as well as clearing the land which had virtually become a forest.
Matanuska programme co-ordinator, Mr Johannes Makurumidze, said there was resistance from farmers to start the programme, but now there was growing demand as farmers now see the profitable nature of the project.
There are now over 500 families benefitting from the programme.
Of the one-hectare owned by each family, each farmer contributed 0.1 to 0.25ha towards the banana project with each farmer realising approximately $3 700 per annum depending on their production.
“This programme is an example of how the public and private sector can work together to steer productivity in our agro-based economy.
“Our model is a win-win model and is meant to improve the livelihoods of rural communities, nurturing skills development, raising income levels and employment creation.
“We are proud that about 90 percent of the people employed in the pack sheds are women and 10 percent are youths.
“This programme is also meant to promote the commercialisation of smallholder farmers and develop rural areas with arable land,” said Mr Makurumidze.
Mr Makurumidze added that farmers were now bankable and were now accessing working capital loans from Central Africa Building Society Bank of on average $610 which they can repay in six months.
“Because of the success story of the programme and their partnership with us, CABS has now come on board and there is now increase in economic activity in the area with villagers building houses, more children going to school and alternatively government gets a wider tax collection base,” he said.
The Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs, Cde Chris Mushohwe who was the guest of honour commended Matanuska for living up to their promise when they engaged him in 2009 to start smallholder projects and increase quality banana farming for their export market.
“When Matanuska first approached me I told them they should not come begging for land to benefit themselves, but they should instead look at skills transfer and programmes to empower communities at the same time satisfying their export market targets with high grade quality bananas from the smallholder programmes.
“So I am happy to see the results today and that communities are benefiting,” said Cde Mushohwe.
Cde Mushohwe urged the smallholder farmers to be professional.
“This should not be subsistence farming. I want you farmers to be professional. Do not just give out your bananas to visitors that come. This is business.
“This is the same soil that enriched the whites so why can’t we do the same?” he said.
Cde Mushohwe added that skills transfer, sustainability and empowerment of locals should be the bedrock of such programmes, something which Zim-Asset seeks to achieve.
Zanu-PF Manicaland provincial chairman Ambassador Dr John Shumba Mvundura urged Matanuska not only to empower the farmers to grow bananas, but also open the export markets to them for sustainability.
“We do not want to be caught wanting in the event that we wake up Matanuska gone one day. These farmers should also know these export markets so that they grow. This is the beneficiation drive we are talking about under Zim-Asset,” said Ambassador Mvundura.
Kundai Muteiwa one of the farmers from Mutema said with money from bananas she had managed to build a kitchen and extended her house which cost her $1 400.
“This is a life changing project indeed which made me realise there is money in farming. We built a kitchen and extended our house for $1 400 with money from bananas. I want to actually increase production once I gain more experience,” said Muteiwa.
Another Mutema farmer, Angeline Bote, unraveled her life changing experience from banana farming under the programme.
Bote said the programme was empowering for rural women and youths who had nothing to do.
Chipinge South legislator, Cde Enock Porusingazi thanked Agritex workers for working tirelessly with farmers and urged all farmers to continue growing bananas and making maximum use of their land.
The finance director of Matanuska, Mr Richard Chiwandire, said they would continue to push small–holder farming projects to empower rural communities and contribute towards the Gross Domestic Product for Zim-Asset to work.
Online Reporter