Online Reporter
George Maponga
Masvingo Bureau
The Second Republic wants the full exploitation of Tugwi-Mukosi Dam in Masvingo to drive industrialisation, with plans afoot to start value-addition of fish farming as the province forges ahead with the drive to fully use abundant water bodies and spur socio-economic transformation in line with Vision 2030.
Masvingo has set a target to evolve into a US$8 billion economy in provincial gross domestic product terms by the year 2030, and Tugwi-Mukosi anchors the Presidential Fisheries programme that has already started changing the lives of rural villagers in Chivi and Masvingo districts.
Tugwi-Mukosi is shared by Chivi and Masvingo districts and has transformed into a major fisheries hub after the Second Republic stocked fingerlings in the water body to anchor the Presidential Fisheries programme in the province.
To date, a cumulative 15 fishing co-operatives have been licensed to undertake commercial fishing in the dam in a development that has boosted incomes for villagers in Chivi and Masvingo districts while also stemming unemployment.
The burgeoning fisheries industry at Tugwi-Mukosi is also boosting nutrition of rural communities in Chivi, Masvingo and other surrounding districts who are now getting cheap and affordable fish from the giant dam.
Now, the Government plans to move a gear up and facilitate value-addition of the fish to earn more income for licensed fishing co-operatives in line with Vision 2030.
Permanent Secretary for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Dr Addmore Pazvakavambwa on Tuesday described Tugwi-Mukosi as key for a growing fisheries industry that is set to become one of the key anchors of the provincial economy.
”We are scouting for investors to start value-adding fish that is harvested from the Tugwi-Mukosi Dam, and we are happy that several investors have shown interest to work with the fishing cooperatives that have been licensed to venture into commercial fishing at the dam.
To date, 14 co-operatives comprising members drawn from Chivi and Masvingo districts have been licensed to undertake commercial fishing in the dam.
”We have investors who came and did a feasibility study to see if it’s possible to value-add the fish from Tugwi-Mukosi by starting projects such as fish canning, and the prospects for value-addition are very exciting, and they will boost incomes for our people while also creating direct and indirect jobs, and this is what Vision 2030 is all about,” he said.
Dr Pazvakavambwa said besides value-addition of the dam’s fish, Tugwi-Mukosi fingerlings were central to the ongoing development of business units across the province.
To date, more than 250 business units have been set up across the province, with fish ponds being key pieces of the units’ puzzle.
”So far we have about 250 business units comprising village, schools and chiefs’ village business units (VBUs) that have been developed and are now functional,” he said.
“Fish ponds are integral parts of these business units, and the fingerlings that are stocking the fish ponds are coming from Tugwi-Mukosi Dam; it’s like a pass-on project where fingerlings from Tugwi-Mukosi are passed on to various business units.”
He expressed optimism on the province’s economic prospects through unlimited fishing potential at Tugwi-Mukosi Dam.
”We are looking at a game-changer for the province at Tugwi-Mukosi where, besides the fishing co-operatives that are positively impacting the lives of rural villagers via nutrition boost and increased income, jobs are also being created with more in the pipeline if value addition of the fish takes off as planned,” added Dr Pazvakavambwa.
”This dam(Tugwi-Mukosi) is also the main anchor of our VBUs because most of the fingerlings that are found in the new fish ponds were harvested from the dam and we hope to continue with the programme continuing until every village has a business unit in Masvingo province and the country at large.”
Tugwi-Mukosi is Zimbabwe’s largest interior water body with a capacity of 1,8 billion cubic metres and was commissioned in 2017, having cost over US$250 million to construct.
