Zinwa assures of winter irrigation water

Mukudzei Chingwere

Herald Reporter

All winter farmers have been assured of adequate water to meet their cropping requirements, with stakeholders being advised to take full advantage of the arrangement with Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) for seamless supply.

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka, said this in a statement.

Dr Masuka said as of May 6, the national dam level average stood at 77 percent, against an average of 71,2 percent expected during this time of the year, with national dams and other sources holding sufficient water to irrigate 141 000 hectares of land, based on verified installed irrigation capacity and at a rate ranging from 5 megalitres per hectare (ML/Ha) to 7ML/ha depending on agro-ecological region, type of irrigation system and other factors.

“The Government has set a target of at least 120 000 hectares to be put under winter wheat during the 2024 winter cropping season.

“In view of this development and to ensure the effective and sustainable harnessing of the available water resources, all farmers and other entities wishing to irrigate during the season, are advised to sign water abstraction agreements with ZINWA,” said Dr Masuka.

The agreements allow ZINWA to efficiently allocate and make water reservations for farmers in the dams.

Dr Masuka also provided contact details for catchment and provincial ZINWA offices for easy water allocation modalities and assistance in the country’s eight provinces.

Huge strides have been made in the agricultural sector, with Zimbabwe registering record-breaking yields in cereals and grain production under the Second Republic.

Zimbabwe has come a long way from a position of food shortages to food self-sufficiency, barring this season due to El-Nino, as a result of strategic planning by the Government.

Policies by the Government to promote agriculture have seen the country remaining on track to achieve food security, self-sufficiency, wheat self-sufficiency as well as nutrition security by 2025.