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The commissioning of the irrigation system also marked the official launch of the National Committee on Food and Nutrition programme, which Acting President Mujuru chairs.
Cde Mujuru said she would be going around the country meeting people at ward level while launching similar programmes that were meant to improve food security.
“There has been a problem that all our programmes have been done at national level with people in higher offices at national and provincial levels meeting in cities or towns to launch these programmes without taking into consideration people at the ward level. This has resulted in everything being done at national level while there has been a growing gap between the country’s leaders and the people at lower levels who happen to be the majority,” she said.
Acting President Mujuru said vast tracts of land, which could be used for farming to improve the country’s food security were not being fully utilised because there was no direct interaction to exchange ideas between the leadership and people at grassroots level.
She said stakeholders in agriculture were also not reaching out to the people at ward level to support them by taking their inputs closer to the people.
“The thrust of the National Committee on Food and Nutrition, therefore, is to break this barrier and the existing gap between the elite and the poor. President Mugabe said there should be a national committee on food and nutrition, which should go direct to the people, teach them how to utilise their land in a productive manner. As the chairperson of this committee I will be going to the people inviting stakeholders such as inputs providers to these programmes where we are expecting to be launching sustainable agricultural projects for the people at ward level,” she said.
Cde Mujuru urged Zimbabweans to fully utilise their land while taking into consideration that the independence and the land itself did not come on a silver platter.
She said President Mugabe was being demonised by Western countries because of the land reform programme.
“President Mugabe is now an enemy to many Western countries only because of his bold decision to give the land, which belonged to a minority to its rightful owners, the majority Zimbabweans. We should therefore fully utilise this land so that our detractors would appreciate what we can also do with the land. This is the thrust of the national food and nutrition committee, we want to make sure that every ward in Zimbabwe is fully utilising its land,” she said.
Cde Mujuru said Chemahororo drip irrigation scheme should be an example as it was the first such scheme to be launched under the National Food and Nutrition Committee programmes.
“We will be going to other provinces launching different programmes that are meant to improve food security at ward level but we want this drip irrigation scheme to be successful and to be exemplary,” she said.
Acting President Mujuru donated fertiliser and seed maize and cottonseed to the Gokwe community.
She also donated 2 000 chicks which she said should be shared among the youths in Gokwe in their poultry projects.
Meanwhile, the Zanu-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity, Cde Rugare Gumbo, said Acting President Mujuru was the most senior party official after President Mugabe.
Introducing Acting President Mujuru to the gathering at Chemahororo, Cde Gumbo said party members should be wary of some elements in the party who were going around claiming to be very senior in the party hierarchy.
“I should emphasise that Vice-President Mujuru who is Acting President is the most senior Zanu-PF official after President Mugabe and people should not be bothered by some drunken people who go around boasting that they are the most senior party officials,” he said.
Online Reporter