OM gives Nyanga youths something to smile about

“I’m my own boss, who is fully in charge of his life. I’m now seeing Nigel Chanakira or Philip Chiyangwa in the making — I’m going to be the Chiyangwa of Nyanga very soon,” says Mateta without the slightest hint of doubt in his voice.
To Mateta a new breed of heroes who will inspire thousands of youths across the country is about to emerge and he expects to play a sig­nificant role in charting the way forward for Zimbabwe.

What is the source of this enthusiasm that ignites so much hope in this potato farmer? Mateta is one of the 50 people of the Nyanga Development Trust who benefited from an Old Mutual loan that is administered through CABS. This facility is aimed at empowering the youth across the country.
In response to Government’s indigenisation policy Old Mutual donated 2,5 percent of the business to set up Kurera/Ukondla Youth Fund, a trust that funds viable income genera­tion projects by those in the 18 to 35 age bracket.

A unique feature of the US$10 million Youth Fund is that one does not need any collateral for funding to be approved because the trust provides the security to CABS on behalf of the youth. The Youth Fund is administered in col­laboration with the Ministry of Youth Devel­opment, Indigenisation and Empowerment.
Mateta received a loan of US$5 000 in August that he invested towards expanding the area under crop.

“Before funding I used to struggle to grow these potatoes. After I received assistance from CABS I was able to increase the area under crop from one hectare to three hectares,” he says. “We also increased our irrigation capacity and were able to recruit four more workers and we now have a total of 11, including my family.
“This irrigation utilises gravity; we con­structed a reservoir on top of this hill to enable the project to take off. We have a total of 3km of piping comprising 1,5km from the dam and another 1,5km to cover the fields.”

Mateta is confident that he can easily man­age 20ha of potato crop given the right condi­tions. He says all he needs is more land because the area he is operating from is restricted by geography and moreover the plot he is farming on belongs to his parents.
The success of his farm has ignited a seem­ingly unquenchable quest for greatness: “My life has been transformed; I used to be unfo­cused until I ventured into farming and the loan I received has really empowered me. I’m now able to assist other youths from the sur­rounding community. Given the limitations of this plot I plan to go into hospitality and tourism by constructing lodges on this hill. I already have a name for them, Chapungu Heights. We’re in a prime tourism area and so it makes sense to do this.”

Mateta’s story mirrors the success of the Nyanga Development Trust that is headed by the youthful Chief Victor Saunyama of Chigu­mura Farm, who is also a beneficiary of the CABS facility.

From a modest half a hectare in 2010 and 2ha in 2011, Chief Saunyama this year increased the crop to 7ha, courtesy of a                    US$5 000 loan from CABS. This will be increased to 15ha in 2013 and an impressive 40ha in 2014.
“We have 100 youths in the trust but so far 50 have accessed funding. Each is doing one hectare, which gives us a total of 50ha under crop, with yields ranging between 20-30 tonnes per hectare. Come harvest time in February we expect the local community to be transformed from the proceeds that we expect to realise from the current crop,” says Chief Saunyama.

He adds that those who benefited from the loan are expected to pay back so that their col­leagues can also benefit from the revolving CABS loan facility.
“At first when we spoke of the Nyanga Devel­opment Trust some youths were sceptical but they now want to get into this programme because of the success stories they are witness­ing. We encourage our leaders and businesses to assist youths with land and resources,” says Chief Charumbira, adding that the business community should emulate the good work that Old Mutual is doing through Kurera/Ukondla.

Buyers buy potatoes at between US$8 and US$10 per pocket, which translates to an income of US$10 666 to US$20 000 per hectare. Collectively the farmers have the potential to earn a million dollars from a single crop or at least US$2 million per year.
Given that the Nyanga Development Trust collectively received US$250 000, the expected income of US$2 million is no mean feat.

With farmers planting between two and three crops each year, the sun is indeed rising from the east.