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Nqobile Tshili in BINGA
THE Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme in Binga, a joint venture between the local community and the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA), is on the verge of becoming fully operational, thanks to the Government’s timely intervention and support.
Government recently released US$200 000 to Petrichor Irrigation (Private) Limited, a company contracted to overhaul, restructure and connect the irrigation infrastructure at the scheme, which covers 400 hectares suitable for commercial sorghum and sunflower production.
Petrichor Irrigation general manager, Mr Daniel Periman, said the project would be completed in nine days, with planting of crops set to start in next two weeks.
The refurbishment involved installing new pipelines, water pumps, electricity transformers, and an automated power system to ensure efficient and reliable irrigation.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka visited the project last Wednesday to assess the progress and interact with stakeholders, including ARDA executives, irrigation officials, finance and investment officials and community members.
Dr Masuka expressed satisfaction with the work done so far and commended the contractor for delivering quality service.
Government had provided an additional US$200 000 to the contractor to facilitate the installation of power components.
Dr Masuka said the Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme was a strategic project that would transform the lives and livelihoods of the people of Binga, who have been facing water and food insecurity challenges for a long time and would create employment, generate income and enhance the resilience of the community to climate change.
The community should take ownership of the project and work together with ARDA and other partners to ensure its sustainability and success.
He assured the community that Government would continue to support and monitor the project and to implement similar projects in other parts of the country.
“Today’s visit was to ensure that we evaluate the progress that has been made at Bulawayo Kraal specifically to see the new designs. I am very pleased that we are at 95 percent completion and in the next nine days, this project having received sufficient funding will now operational,” said Dr Masuka.
“We are able in 10 days to irrigate the first 200 hectares but now we are going to irrigate on a sustainable basis. Binga community has waited patiently for this project to come to fruition for the past 21 years and I thank them for the patience but most importantly I thank them for their confidence in this team.”
Dr Masuka said the team was able to resolve all the technical challenges that stalled the project.
“As you have seen we have now changed the whole design for the project where we have put in two lines and three pumping units along the 9,6km conveyancing system,” he said.
“This gives us the confidence that this will be able to work. The few bits that haven’t been completed will be completed soon and will allow us to celebrate the first phase which will give us the 400ha irrigated.”
“Alongside that we going to immediately start a fisheries component of this project. The communities in the next six months will be able to get the full benefits of this project so that the livelihoods will change in line with Vision 2030.”
Dr Masuka said the irrigation scheme would be implemented using the Presidential Vision 2030 accelerator approach, similar to the Bubi-Lupane Irrigation Scheme, for the effective transformation and improvement of rural livelihoods.
“When we introduced this model in Bubi-Lupane Irrigation Scheme, we saw the results that the communities, the 90 households immediately their lives were transformed and now we have been able to replicate this in 304 irrigation schemes of the 460 schemes and whenever we have introduced the scheme, it has become a business, it has become viable, it has become sustainable and it has become profitable and the livelihoods of the communities have been uplifted,” he said.
“So, clearly this is an accelerator for the attainment of Vision 2030.”
ARDA chief executive officer Mr Tinotenda Mhiko said the scheme will be active after being idle for over two decades, depriving communities of potential livelihoods.
“The developments here are important because the scheme has been lying idle for 21 years. So this is going to be a game changer in terms of rural transformation of communities,” said Mr Mhiko
He said they were targeting to plant 300ha of commercial sorghum and 100ha of commercial sunflower.
“Why these crops? Because we are following Government policy direction which states that the agro ecological region should determine the crops that we produce. It also dovetails, with our mandate of guaranteeing national bio feed fiber, biofuels and food security. Remember commercial sorghum is for food and sunflower is also for food,” he said.
Mr Mhiko said through operating it using the Vision 2030 Accelerator Model, there will be a buy-in from communities who will not just work at the irrigation but will become shareholders, who get dividends at the end of cropping season.
Bulawayo Irrigation Scheme chairman Mr Titos Munkuli commended the Government for ensuring that the irrigation scheme comes to life.
He said the community was looking forward to having their lives transformed through the operation of the scheme.
“We want to be part and parcel of implementing vision 2030. We hope going forward, we are not going to see anyone failing to pay school fees through the incomes that they will be getting here,” he said.
“We also don’t expect to hear that any child has kwashiorkor due to poor dietary as we expect that the project will result in communities being food secure.”
Online Reporter