Winter maize project attracts FAO interest

THE Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has shown interest in the Lowveld winter maize production initiative, with officials from the United Nations body expected to meet the Masvingo provincial leadership for more insight into the project.

The winter maize project in Chiredzi is being rolled out under a partnership between Government and Lowveld sugar cane producer Tongaat Hulett and is part of a stop-gap measure to mitigate effects of recurrent droughts due to global warming.

This year there are about 317 hectares that are under irrigated winter maize at Triangle estates.

Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs Senator Josaya Hungwe said the Lowveld winter maize initiative has attracted a lot of international interest owing to its vast potential to stem food shortages.

Senator Hungwe said he will soon meet FAO officials.

“The winter maize project that we jointly initiated with Tongaat in the Lowveld has attracted interest from around the globe because the project has potential to be a panacea to recurrent food shortages in dry regions that are close to water bodies that can be tapped for irrigation,” he said.

“Officials from FAO have requested to meet us so that we can furnish them with more information about the winter maize project in the Lowveld. We are happy that the initiative has earned global acclaim and there is potential for its replication in other parts of the country to boost food security.”

Minister Hungwe said countries far afield like Argentina in South America had also developed keen interest in the winter maize initiative.

“Our hope is for the winter maize project to be expanded to cover other parts of the country that have underutilised water bodies so that we can grow maize in winter under irrigation to boost food security. Of late our country has been plagued by recurrent droughts and the winter maize initiative can turn around our fortunes,” said Senator Hungwe.

He said there was also room for FAO to assist financially and technically in the initiative so that it could be expanded as part of efforts to help Zimbabwe restore its regional breadbasket status.

“Masvingo is blessed to have so many dams most of which are under-utilised. Besides boasting the highest dam density in the country, it has several perennially flowing big rivers like Runde, Mutirikwi and Tokwe that could be tapped for irrigation,” said the Minister.

Senator Hungwe also said the rich fertile soils and flat terrain in the Lowveld coupled with abundant irrigation water from dams and rivers made the region a potential fulcrum of the winter maize project initiative that could be a mainstay for Zimbabwe’s food security.

The minister said the winter maize project had further potential for growth as the province still has outstanding bigger dam projects such as the Runde-Tende Dam that is planned at the confluence of Runde and Tende rivers in southern Chivi.

The dam, first mooted before independence, will be bigger than Tokwe-Mukosi Dam, and will provide irrigation water to the Lowveld.

Winter maize production was first introduced in the Lowveld following the crippling 1992 drought after the then Masvingo Governor and current Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs Senator Hungwe approached Tongaat management to set aside part of their sugar cane estates for maize production to cushion the province from the effects of the devastating droughts.

The project has since then been re-introduced whenever the province is hit by drought to ease effects of food shortages in drought-prone Masvingo.