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Leonard Ncube in Binga
BULAWAYO Kraal Irrigation Scheme, which has been failing to take off for over a decade, should be operational before the end of the year without fail as it is key to the development of Binga District, Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko said yesterday.
Speaking during a visit to the project in Chief Binga area, VP Mphoko ordered the Minister of State for Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs, Cde Cain Mathema to mobilise graders from all districts in the province to start clearing 250 hectares earmarked for the first phase of the project next week.
The multi-million dollar project, which should cover 15,000 hectares of land, was initiated in 2004 but had been failing to take off due to funding challenges.
About $1,8 million is needed for the first phase.
VP Mphoko, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in his office, Thabani Ndlovu, service chiefs and heads of various government departments, visited the project as part of a monitoring programme on identified Zim-Asset projects in Matabeleland North.
After being briefed on the project by representatives from departments of irrigation and mechanisation in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, VP Mphoko toured the pump station at Lokola River, a push back from Zambezi River where the irrigation would draw water from and the irrigation site.
“I’ve been sent by President Mugabe to assess the needs of the people of Binga and check on what we can do to develop the area. Binga is a rich district and we’ve agreed with Minister Mathema that something should be done this year,” said VP Mphoko as he addressed a huge crowd at Bulawayo Kraal Primary School.
“We need Binga to grow, not for political reasons but to develop our communities. We want this project so that we start banana or sugarcane plantations. The province has graders and they should all come here and start clearing land so that we start growing something especially maize this year”.
He said he would engage Agriculture Minister, Joseph Made next week to expedite the project.
“The President recently commissioned some tractors and once they come, please use them for community development. We will go and see Made with Minister Mathema next week because there is no going back on this project. Let’s involve traditional leaders so that this becomes a community project as there is a danger of it being commercialised by individuals,” said VP Mphoko.
The VP said the tilling of the 250 hectares should start next month.
Majwabu Company from Bulawayo has been contracted to clear the land while two other companies from Harare won tenders to supply water pumping equipment.
Minister Mathema said he would mobilise heads of department from the province to organise movement of equipment to Binga .
Briefing VP Mphoko and other delegates, Charles Makhula from the irrigation department, said the project was allocated $200,000 from Treasury last year but the money was diverted to another project in Inyathi in the same province.
He said they had been promised three tractors acquired from Brazil while a group of Indians were carrying out a study in the area with a view of financing the project.
“Bulawayo Kraal is one of our major projects and our thinking is a two-tier system where it would be both community and commercial.
“The problem is funding and we can’t start planting this year because there isn’t enough money. The money allocated to the project last year was channelled to Inyathi,” he said.
Makhula said attempts were made in the past to implement the project but everything stopped in 2007. He said only fittings were outstanding since all preliminary piping had been done.
The irrigation scheme, which should alleviate hunger and poverty in the district and beyond, is earmarked for sugarcane, sugar beans, maize, bananas, wheat, soya beans among other crops. VP Mphoko assured Binga people that there was a ready market globally for such produce.
Binga district has 139,000 people and everyone is expected to benefit from the scheme.
Today, VP Mphoko will tour the now defunct Kamativi Tin Mine in Hwange district in the morning before going to Tshongogwe in Lupane district in the afternoon.
Online Reporter