Victoria East rides on Command Agric success
VICTORIA East is set to reclaim its position as Masvingo Province’s breadbasket, with model A2 farmers in the area expecting a bumper maize harvest after getting assistance from Government under the Command Agriculture scheme.
Besides maize, the farmers also expanded into horticulture, with Victoria East now a major supplier of tomatoes and vegetables to Masvingo city.
Resettled farmers in the area have since appealed to Government to identify suitable investors to set up a processing plant tapping into the thriving horticulture sector in the area.
Speaking at a field day held at a maize farm in the Mutirikwe area owned by Mr Nicholas Maunze, Masvingo district Agritex officer Mr David Kanda said resettled farmers in Victoria East were expecting a bumper maize harvest.
“Victoria East has regained its position as the breadbasket of Masvingo and the maize output they are going to get this year will be enough to feed all the people in Masvingo District for two years,’’ he said.
“The A2 farmers here did very well. This has never happened before and we can safely say Masvingo District is now self sufficient in terms of food.’’
Mr Kanda said the area was slowly turning into a horticulture powerhouse, with the main market in Masvingo city now saturated with tomatoes and vegetables from Victoria East.
“We have since started engaging Masvingo City Council with a view for them to avail land for the setting up of a new additional market from which to sell their produce, he said. We are also calling upon Government to consider identifying an investor to open a horticulture processing plant, so that there is value addition.’’
Ward 32 agriculture extension officer Mr Clever Mazhata said farmers in Victoria East had since founded Mutirikwe Horticulture Irrigators Association to make it easy to market their produce and also access inputs such as fertilisers. Most of the horticultural produce and maize was being realised from five major irrigation schemes in the area, among them Verlos, Hwendedzo and Stanmore B in addition to over 50 individual schemes in the area.
“Most of the model A2 farmers in this area managed to build their own smallholder irrigation schemes that are powered mainly by solar and this has seen the area becoming a major player in the horticulture sector,’’ he said.
Seedco Masvingo provincial agronomist Mr Stanley Nyoka appealed to Government to urgently rebuild some irrigation schemes that were damaged by recent floods that swept through Masvingo and other parts of the country.