Online Reporter
Walter Nyamukondiwa
Mashonaland West Bureau Chief
A 14-kilometre pipeline that will draw water from Suri Suri Dam in Chegutu is under construction to climate-proof and help increase production of seed maize, sorghum, soyabeans and potatoes on more than 300 hectares under joint ventures at Handley Cross Farm.
Nearly 200 people, mostly women and youths, have been employed for the US$700 000 pipeline project and production on the farm.
The pipeline will help increase the land under irrigation from the 100ha to around 300ha, while leaving an existing canal to about 80 A1 farmers and the community.
It will boost the growing of seed maize from around 2 000 tonnes to around 3 000 tonnes.
A farmer, Mr Marius Grove, said there were leakages of up to 60 percent of water transported on the old canal and the pipeline would help in ensuring year-round production.
“We started this project, which is now more than 70 percent complete, to ensure that production increases in line with the President’s Vision 2030 of irrigation development as a climate change mitigation measure,” said Mr Grove.
“The President has been pushing Vision 2030 and it’s not just his alone, but ours as farmers, which we are going to achieve. To do that, we need to invest not just in agriculture but in irrigation equipment and the means of delivering water to the equipment.”
Project manager Mr Musandibate Tsabora said many people have been employed for the project, including excavator operators, blasting technicians, pipeline joiners and women covering the mainline.
“We expect to complete the works by the end of October or in November,” said Mr Tsabora.
