Plan to raise irrigable land to 2m hectares on cards

ZIMBABWE has set a target of having more than two million hectares under irrigation to boost crop production even in the event of erratic rains as happened this summer cropping season due to El Nino.

The anticipated figure will be 10 times higher than current hectarage.

The Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa has emphasised the need to fight the effects of climate change in agriculture through irrigation.

Higher levels of irrigation also allow farmers to diversify operations and grow crops all year round, rather than engaging in seasonal production.

Speaking at a handover of an information centre of agriculture in Banket this week, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri, said there was a need to invest in irrigation to ensure food security, making better use of what is already present and then pushing forward.

He said farmers should use the more than 10 700 water bodies in the country, from small farm dams upwards, to irrigate crops throughout the year.

“Our salvation is in irrigation. We need to use every drop of water for irrigation.

“The private sector should continue partnering Government on this because we rely on them, especially in the agricultural sector,” he said.

Presently, Zimbabwe has 217 000ha under functional irrigation but this could be rapidly more than doubled to 460 000ha functional countrywide.

This is the short-term objective. By October this year, about 10 000 business units should be established so that 1 600 Wards in the country can grow vegetables and work on making money from them.

Prof Jiri advised farmers to take advantage of the water bodies around them to embark on agricultural activities.

Meanwhile, Banket farmers have thanked the Government for providing them with an information centre which will help them with knowledge so that they can embark on agricultural activities fully

Mrs Martha Murere of Wool Worth Farm said farmers should wisely use the resources so that they benefit.

“We are happy that the Government is committed to improving the lives of farmers. We welcome this information centre for agriculture and we hope we are going to benefit as a district so that we improve farming activities in our district,” she said.

Another farmer, Mr Aaron Moyo, of Maheu Farm said farmers should jealously guide the resources so that everyone has access to information that will help them to produce meaningful harvests.

“We are grateful because this is the opportunity for us the elderly to use the internet.

“We do not have the money to buy data for research purposes. This initiative is great,” he said.

The Second Republic is on a drive to rehabilitate dams and construct new ones as part of efforts to avoid relying on rain fed agriculture, but on irrigation, so as to avoid food deficit.