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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
At least 40 families are set to benefit from the construction of a solar powered irrigation system at Mpudzi dam, as Government moves to empower communities and grow the agriculture sector in line with Vision 2030.
Mpudzi dam is located 35km from Mutare and the project is one of the biggest that commenced this year in terms of irrigation development. The project is expected to focus on horticulture production owing to its proximity to Sakubva fresh produce market.
Provincial irrigation engineer Tendai Chimunhu said the first phase of the project will cover 20 hectares that will be subdivided into 0.5 hectare pieces of land for each of the 40 beneficiaries.
“Under phase 1, we will install a solar powered sprinkler system. The water will be pumped into a tank which then gravitates into the fields. The tank has already been installed and the pipe materials have been delivered on site. Installation of the available material commenced three weeks back but procurement of the pumping system is still outstanding. We have however been experiencing challenges due to macro-economic situation,” he said.
He said the farmers had already started using the land this season before the installation of system and once it was in place, focus would shift to horticulture produce.
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