The Sunday Mail
Debra Matabvu
ZIMBABWE’s national dams’ irrigation capacity has increased to over 200 000 hectares for this year’s winter cropping season with Government contracting a local company to supply farmers with locally manufactured irrigation equipment.
Local manufacturing firm, Maka Resources, is supplying farmers with centre pivots among other equipment under a three-year programme. In addition, over 2000 farmers have applied for permission from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) to use water from national dams to irrigate this season’s winter wheat crop which is expected to exceed over 85 000 hectares.
ZINWA Corporate Communications and Marketing Manager Ms Marjorie Munyonga said the Government will ensure that the most suitable national dams will be used for irrigation during the winter season.
“Some of the dams that are primarily for irrigation purposes include, but are not limited to, Tugwi-Mukosi, Manjirenji, Osborne, Siya, Ingwizi, Silalabuhwa, Mazvikadei, Bangala, Manyuchi, Mazowe, Ruti, Insukamini and Mwenje. In addition to these major dams, there are a lot of other medium to small sized dams in the farming areas which provide irrigation water to farmers,” Ms Munyonga said.
“Since the commencement of the water year on April 1, 2021, farmers engaged in winter cropping have been applying for their water abstraction agreements. Applications are still coming and being processed as farmers intensify winter cropping preparations. In April alone, a total of 1 227 new water abstraction agreements had been signed, in addition to the others that were already subsisting. More agreements were also signed in May and statistics are being compiled. Government has set a winter wheat target of 85 000 hectares. However, dams hold sufficient water to irrigate in excess of 200 000 hectares.”
Maka Resources Chief Executive Officer, Mr Innocent Sibanda, said: “We entered into a three year programme with Government which started last August. So we are working with farmers nationwide and we have produced the centre pivots for them as per our agreement with Government. About 40 percent of the equipment used to produce the centre pivots is locally available, thus cutting the import bill tremendously. The country has enough water bodies for irrigation. However, we do not have enough irrigation equipment and this is where we come in.”
Government has set a target to produce 340 000 tonnes of wheat this season, nearing the national requirement of 360 000 tonnes.
