Chronicle Editor
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE revival of irrigation schemes across the country under the “Vision 2030 Accelerator Model” by the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) is bearing fruits, contributing significantly to the import substitution drive.
The “Vision 2030 Accelerator Model” was launched by President Mnangagwa in 2021 to stimulate rural industrialisation as part of the Second Republic’s drive to scale up agricultural transformation.
The programme supports farming growth and is in line with National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), the country’s five-year economic blueprint that guides implementation of bold strategies aimed at achieving economic transformation and usher Zimbabwe into an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
Giving an update on Arda winter wheat, the board chairman, Mr Ivan Craig said they established 18 023 hectares of winter wheat across the rural irrigation schemes, Arda estates and joint venture arrangements with farmers.
“This was against the 14 018 hectares of wheat established during the 2022 winter wheat season. We are targeting at least 81 300 tonnes of wheat, which is a 23 percent contribution to the country’s annual requirements where 83 percent of this wheat is established at irrigation schemes across eight provinces.
“Our aim is to continue to grow and drive import substitution so that we contribute significantly to wheat self-sufficiency,” he said.
He said efforts have been made to ensure many irrigation schemes that were lying idle have been revived and others that were operational have been expanded to increase the hectarage of area planted.
Mr Craig said under the Vision 2030 Accelerator Model, the programme had created massive employment and the second phase involved training of farmers on how to convert cultivation of crops under irrigation to business enterprises.
“We have revived a number of irrigation schemes under the Vision 2030 Accelerator Model out of a planned 450 across the country and this has created direct and indirect jobs,” he added.
He said at some irrigation schemes farmers were taking home as much as US$1 500 per crop, while this was a significant milestone towards achieving the vision of becoming a prosperous and empowered upper middle-income society by 2030.
The Vision 2030 Accelerator model is taking on board 55 000 direct beneficiary households, one million indirect beneficiaries with a combined output of 117 000 tonnes of maize and 130 000 tonnes of wheat annually.
Under the transformational strategy, Arda is revitalising all its estates and opening up new irrigable land to boost production.
In line with the Government’s devolution agenda, which is anchored on ensuring that “no one and no place is left behind” in terms of development, Matabeleland Region like the rest of the country, is benefiting from the accelerated irrigation scheme revival programme.
The Government has credited the revival of irrigation schemes to the successful implementation of the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy, which has already achieved its target of US$8,2 billion agriculture economy before 2025 which was the target date.
To enhance climate proofing of the vulnerable and ensure food and nutrition security, the Government is aggressively implementing the National Accelerated Irrigation Rehabilitation Programme, focusing on the rehabilitation and development as well as maintenance of communal irrigation schemes.
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