Govt backs Umguza Pecan outgrower project

Nkosilathi Sibanda, Business Correspondent
SMALLHOLDER farmers in Umguza District have started growing pecan nut trees in an outgrower scheme supported by Balu Pecan and Livestock Estate, in what is set to be the country’s biggest agriculture venture expected to rake in huge amounts of foreign currency in the next few years.

The outgrower project is an offshoot of the pecan nut tree plantation that is at the Balu plantation run by the Balu Pecan and Livestock Estate in partnership with the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) in Umguza District in Matabeleland North.

The estate is one of many that Arda has managed to revive through smart public-private joint ventures which the Second Republic is consistently advocating for in all business spheres. Planting of the pecan nut tree started in October 2017 and it spread to 2018 in phases where five different cultivars were put on the ground.

Out of the partnership, the pecan nut tree project has already had a ripple effect on the community of Umguza, a prime farming area with as many smallholder farmers.

Interest to plant the tree, after learning of its lucrative gains at harvest time, has reached fever pitch levels among farmers.

In the area, 10 farmers were chosen to take part in the outgrower scheme.

Balu Pecan and Livestock Estate general manager Dr Jeremy Hubert said in engaging the community of Umguza, they wanted to instil ownership of the project and help the area to become the hub of pecan nut tree production.

“We believe that in working with farmers around the estate, we will expand the project. We planned to invite farmers in groups and in the future the communities will have knowledge that will benefit them and sustain the project,” he said.

Dr Hubert said there the farmers would realise profit as pecan nuts are sought after in world markets.

The Estate’s supervising manager, Mr Ndodana Ncube, said involving the Umguza community would ensure that the pecan nut tree plantation would be sustainable.

“It was always within our plans that we must also involve the community in the growing of the pecan nut tree,” said Mr Ncube.

“In the beginning of this year, we engaged the Agritex department in the province and 10 best farmers were recruited into the project. We then went on to identify a piece of land measuring two hectares. It was the farmers who cleared the land and we had to come in and dig the planting holes and put the plant.”

Mr Ncube said the farmers went through some basic training and skills acquisition on how best to plant and take care of the trees.

A total of 200 trees were planted.

“It was necessary that before we start, farmers had to be taught how the planting is done. They were involved in the planting together with our workers,” he said.

Pecan nut trees need as much water in dry seasons and in the outgrower project, farmers have been irrigating the trees with support from the Balu Pecan and Livestock Estate.

Around the main plantation, a micro jet irrigation system was installed.

Efforts to get underground water hit a snag as drilling failed two times when the estate tried to drill boreholes to water the trees under the outgrower scheme, according to Mr Ncube.

He said they were optimistic to get water when they drill again.

“When we drill another borehole and be successful we will put the same irrigation system used in the main commercial side.”

He said farmers in the project would be allowed to grow other crops in between the trees.

“This has to be a sustainable project where we want farmers to grow other crops such as beans, cabbage and other cash crops for their consumption and the market,” said.

Upon receiving training, each of the 10 farmers are set to be attached to other village clusters where they will cascade knowledge on the pecan nut tree.

“The prime goal is to train the farmers and impart skill. We intend to attach each one of the trained farmers to each cluster. With the expertise they got from us, we will be supervising and monitoring them. Villagers with access to water will be identified and trained. The outgrower scheme will expand that way,” Mr Ncube said.

He said farmers will soon realise monetary and life changing experience from the project.

Arda acting chief executive Mr Willard Mbona said the partnership with villagers was a model that has to be emulated countrywide.

He said the pecan nut tree project dove-tailed with the Government’s efforts to utilise agriculture as a foreign currency earner.

Mr Mbona paid tribute to the late Minister of Lands, Water, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, Perrance Shiri, who was at the forefront of turning around the Arda estates countrywide.

The late minister, time and again visited the pecan nut tree plantation in Umguza, a project that the Government and its partners greatly honoured.

“This is a classic model of how our grower schemes should work. Let us support the outgrower scheme and get the idea to other provinces,” he said.

Mr Mbona is on record saying that agriculture has the avenue to get the much-needed foreign currency.

“We see that the country badly needs foreign currency and it’s one of the areas as Arda that we must go into. So we looked for partners and we have found one, the partner is called Kalimba Investments,” he said.
Kalimba Investments runs Arda Balu Estates.

A pecan nut tree takes five to seven years to grow to maturity and be of harvest. Each pecan nut tree can earn a farmer close to US$150 per tree in a year. According to Dr Hubert, the tree can take up to 200 years.

He said, apart from the pecan nut tree, farmers in Umguza will benefit from cattle farming.

“We are on an integrated farming model, which would also entail cattle production with the dung from the animals being used as organic fertiliser in an effort to come up with the much sought after organic produce,” said Dr Hubert.

Pecan nut trees adapt well to the country’s subtropical weather and grow well in areas with short, cold winters and long, very hot summers.