The Sunday Mail
Livingstone Marufu
GOVERNMENT has extended the Brazil More Food for Africa $98 million irrigation scheme to mission schools, churches and prisons, among other institutions under Phase Two of the programme as the food security net is cast wider.Only a few schools were included under Phase One of the programme. In an interview with The Sunday Mail; Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made said, “We have extended the irrigation programme to institutions such as prisons, churches and mission schools, among others so that they can be able to sufficiently provide food for their people and the surrounding communities.
“For many years, we have discovered that some institutions do not have adequate food supplies so instead of waiting for the State or any other organisations to provide food to them, they can grow their crops all year round under the irrigation scheme.
“Brazil irrigation scheme also supports the school feeding scheme by providing irrigation equipment that will see most schools giving their children a balanced diet.
“Under this scheme, schools will not only grow maize but also beans and fruits so that children can eat balanced meals. This will improve level of concentration and attendance among school children as food will be in abundance.”
Equipment worth US$38,7 million was distributed under Phase One of the More Food for Africa Programme which lapsed in December after benefiting A1 and communal farmers countrywide.
Further disbursements under the facility are conditional upon utilisation and repayments by benefiting farmers.
Government is still negotiating for agriculture equipment suppliers to provide US$30 million implements to kick start various irrigation projects in the first quarter of the year. This will further benefit A1 and communal irrigation farmers.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union (ZCFU) president Mr Wonder Chabikwa said, “We are moving in the right direction in terms of irrigation as our communities will be able to carry out self sustainable projects all year round. This will lessen the burden on the grain reserve foods as different institutions will have their own food. As the rains continue to pour, we should harvest water for use in the near future.”
Some irrigation projects, incepted a few months ago under the programme, are now complete, with growers expecting bumper harvests.
These include Cashel, Chabwino and Chesa-Mutondwe. Chesa-Mutondwe Irrigation Scheme is in drought-prone Mount Darwin, but stands out as a success story of the programme.
Fifty families and four schools are operating on the 25-hectare farm, each expecting to harvest three tonnes of maize — enough to carry them through the next 12 months and to sell.
Zimbabwe was the first African country to secure the Brazil facility, which provides long-term financing at an interest rate of 2 percent per annum and a grace period of three years. The borrowed sum is payable over 15 years.
