Arda-Jotsholo irrigation exhibits power of joint ventures

GOVERNMENT’S partnership with the private sector continues to pay dividends with the Arda Jotsholo irrigation scheme in Matabeleland North Province anticipating a record-breaking winter wheat harvest this season.

Sunday News recently visited the irrigation scheme where the Chief Director for Agricultural Advisory and Rural Development Services in the Ministry Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Development Professor Obert Jiri said they have been yielding positive results.

The Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) has a substantial land holding across the country, including 21 estates of varying sizes, with a total of 98 000 hectares of arable land, 19 000 hectares of which is irrigable. In the last decade most of these fell into disrepair, with production plummeting. Financing of parastatal operations became increasingly challenging, as government issued bonds via the Agricultural Marketing Authority were no longer available.

In the last few years, as part of a reform programme focused on parastatals, the government has encouraged Arda to go into public-private partnerships (Joint-ventures) with private companies in an attempt to revive their fortunes, seeking new finance and investment from the private sector. Government partnered with Mr Brent le Reux at Arda Jotsholo, in 2016 and the farm now has close to 300 herd of commercial and pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle imported from South Africa, 300 pigs and a variety of crops.

More than 280 hectares of winter wheat under an eight centre pivots irrigation system. 30 hectares of sugar beans was recently harvested. The farm also has a variety of horticultural produce on eight hectares. The farm has further diversified and established a milling unit, which produces maize meal, supplying shops and individuals in Lupane, Binga, Hwange and Victoria Falls.

The winter wheat harvest will be the largest yield ever produced at the farm. Speaking on the sidelines of a tour of the facility, Professor Jiri said the power of production at the farm was a clear exhibition of how fruitful and significant joint venture can bear.

“Here we see a great crop of wheat that is late tilering and is going into booting very soon. It is a joint venture between Arda Jotsholo and a private partner. These are some of the things that we are pushing as government to say let’s have joint ventures between those that have productive land and those that have investment. So here we see the power of production when those two forces are combined.

“So joint-ventures are one area that we are encouraging for investors to access land and be productive. We are seeing here over 280 hectares of land that has been put under wheat with a joint venture arrangement which is looking very impressive. We have had this arrangement for the past six years. So far it is working well because we have the best of management hence we see a green carpet of wheat,’ said Prof Jiri.

Arda Jotsholo row crop farm manager Mr Obert Mhere expressed confidence that if the winter-wheat is not going to be affected by the quelea birds, they anticipate a good yield.

“We do grow a very good crop but sadly last season the quelea birds were just overwhelming and we lost around 290 hectares. The irrigation scheme has been doing well as we have planted a variety of crops. We do Soya beans, we have just harvested a 30 hectares crop of sugar beans and we do commercial maize as well. Currently we have more than 280 hectares of winter wheat that is under eight centre pivots of irrigation,” said Mr Mhere. — @nyeve14