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George Maponga in Masvingo
Roll-out of the multi-million dollar Chilonga Lucerne Grass Project in Chiredzi is expected to finally start as Government and the investor are intensifying engagement of the affected communities for them to have buy-in of the game-changing project.
The lucerne grass project has been on ice after communities in Chilonga initially opposed it on the basis of misinformation to the effect they would be displaced from their ancestral land.
NGOs were at the forefront of spreading negative information about the grass project which falls under the integrated Lowveld irrigation development master plan that envisages creation of a greenbelt stretching from Mwenezi to the west and Chikombedzi to the south east.
Dendiary, a local milk processing concern wants to develop the lucerne grass project at Chilonga that will see communities in the area becoming outgrowers for the grass.
Some of the lucerne grass will be processed and exported via rail while part of it will be reserved for local use.
Chiredzi district development coordinator Mr Lovemore Chisema said a fresh round to engage the Chilonga community over the lucerne project is already underway.
To date the Chiredzi political leadership, traditional leaders and senior government officials in the district have already been engaged to unpack the potentially lucrative project that has export spin-offs and also a bearing on efforts to revive the local beef industry.
Mr Chisema said direct reengagement of the Chilonga community is expected to kick-off soon now that there was appreciation of the project from the district leadership.
He reiterated that none of the affected families would be displaced noting that only the communities’ farming land would be incorporated under the grass project.
Initially, the project will straddle 5 000 ha with about 2 500 families becoming lucerne grass outgrowers with the hectarage under the grass expected to balloon to over 12 000ha.
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