Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
VICE-PRESIDENT Constantino Chiwenga has emphasised the urgent need for Government and its partners to invest more in building the capacity of farmers in the horticulture sector, in order to boost its annual contribution to Zimbabwe’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He made the remarks yesterday, during a tour of high-impact projects in Beitbridge, including the new US$30 million Orange Ville citrus project at Bishopstone Estate, Nottingham Estate, and the Palm River Special Economic Zone project.
VP Chiwenga noted that while production levels in the sector are steadily increasing, more investment is required to unlock its full potential. He highlighted that a growing number of farmers are now venturing into citrus production, with Beitbridge emerging as a national leader in the field.
He stressed the importance of supporting smallholder and communal citrus farmers to scale up their operations and meet both local and international demand.
“These projects that I have visited have clearly demonstrated that the citrus business has now moved from across the country to Beitbridge. The infrastructure I have seen here surpasses anything we’ve seen before. All the necessary variables are in place for success. What remains is for Government and the private sector to focus on water provision to grow this industry,” he said.
He added that the development of water infrastructure is critical, commending the progress made at Nottingham Estate, where the owners have constructed a dam and are expanding their citrus plantations from 950 to 1 500 hectares.
“This is the kind of progress we want to see. All farmers here should collaborate and expand their projects in line with the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy (8.0 policy) developed by the Ministry of Agriculture,” he said.
VP Chiwenga also urged established commercial farmers to embrace out-grower schemes and contract farming, encouraging them to share knowledge and skills with surrounding communities to drive rural transformation. He assured that the Government would play its part by investing in water infrastructure to support citrus production.
Orange Ville representative, Mr Brandon Park, said the company had invested US$30 million in their new project.
“We have set up a processing plant and currently have 700 hectares under citrus. Our target is to expand to 3 000 hectares by 2030. At present, the processing plant can handle up to 90 000 tonnes of oranges per season, and we aim to increase this to 200 000 tonnes by 2030,” he said.
Nottingham Estate general manager, Mr Mark Elliot, said they had invested in two dams with a combined capacity of 800 million cubic metres of water, as well as a 5MW solar plant to support production. The estate is also expanding its citrus plantations from 950 to 1 500 hectares in line with its long-term development strategy.
At present, the estate employs 550 people, most of whom are from Beitbridge. During the winter harvesting season, the workforce increases to nearly 1 300.
Matabeleland South Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Albert Nguluvhe, said the completion of the 63km Zhovhe to Beitbridge water canal would significantly boost agricultural development in the region.
He noted that the project would benefit both commercial and communal farmers engaged in various agricultural ventures, including citrus production along the canal route.
