Increase in irrigation crucial for Zim’s prosperity

10 Nov, 2024 - 00:11 0 Views
Increase in irrigation crucial for Zim’s prosperity

Prof Obert Jiri

Following the Zimbabwe Irrigation Investment Conference held on July 5, 2024, the country secured a significant number of agreements to expand its irrigated agricultural land, a key step in ensuring food security and climate resilience.

The conference ran under the theme “Public-Private Partnerships for Sustainable and Structured Irrigation Financing to Deliver Food Security Everywhere, Everyday”.

Memoranda of understanding (MoU) worth about US$1,5 billion have been concluded on about 10 projects.

The concluded MoU projects target the construction of new dams, water supply pipelines to major towns, hydroelectricity generation and irrigation development.

Efforts are underway to start implementing the projects.

Constructing additional dams is essential for achieving sustainable development and ensuring future water and energy security.

In addition to improving the nation’s readiness for predicted and expected severe weather conditions, dams control the movement of water, reduce the impact of floods and guarantee consistent water supply for farming, manufacturing and residential use.

The planned dam and water supply projects include:

Construction of the Runde-Tende Dam and pipeline to Messina (US$600 million);

Construction of Manhize-Munyati Dam (US$40 million);

Construction of Glassblock Dam in Insiza (US$140 000);

Construction of Musami Dam and pipeline to the new city (US$300 million);

Construction and operation of the Gairezi hydropower plant (US$90 million);

Construction of the Gwayi-Shangani pipeline;

Construction and operation of hydropower plants at Gwayi-Shangani, Kudu and Osborne dams; and

Designing and manufacturing of electrolyser systems at various dams.

Construction of new dams remains a top priority for the Second Republic to ensure that the growing cities have guaranteed water supply.

Our major cities are increasingly experiencing water supply challenges.

The proposed dam projects will also include hydropower generation.

In order to attain the Vision 2030 aspiration of an upper middle-income society, there is need to enhance supply of electricity to cater for the continuous growth of the economy, especially in the productive sectors.

Presently, there is a deficit of up to 400 megawatts (MW) in local generation capacity.

The country currently imports between 200MW and 500MW to cover the shortfall.

It is also a policy of the Second Republic to ensure that at every dam that is constructed, hydroelectricity generation is realised.

However, the envisaged 500MW cannot be achieved through generation at existing dams alone. Therefore, it is imperative for Zimbabwe to continue investing in construction of new dams.

This enhances agricultural productivity and stimulates economic growth.

Also, by generating more hydroelectric power, we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, helping mitigate the effects of global warming.

Agriculture is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy. Although agriculture contributes between 11 percent and 14 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the sector provides employment for some 70 percent of the population and about 60 percent of all raw materials for industry.

About 45 percent of the country’s exports are of agricultural origin.

Zimbabwe receives most of its rainfall during summer months — November to March.

Poor rainfall seasons, including those impacted by the El Niño phenomenon that ravaged Zimbabwe and parts of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region during the 2023/2024 agricultural season, have underscored the importance and urgency with which we need to build resilience against climate variability and change.

Changing weather patterns and droughts have seen the country failing to produce enough grain to meet domestic demand, and hence the need to step up implementation of climate-smart agriculture, boost irrigation capacity and water storage capacity.

The Government is, therefore, prioritising irrigation development to decisively move away from overreliance on rain-fed agriculture.

The deals

The first agreement, worth US$172 million, was signed with representatives from Valley Irrigation. This deal will provide centre pivot irrigation systems to cover 23 000 hectares (ha) of land, a significant boost to Zimbabwe’s irrigation development.

Under the second agreement, the Government of Zimbabwe signed a €51 million deal with Spanish company Grupo Charmatin through their local partners, Munda Wedu Private Limited, towards developing 12 725ha of land for irrigation.

Following the successful conference, the loan facility was upgraded to €75 million to cover more hectarage.

This partnership will go further towards expanding the country’s irrigated land.

Lindsay Zimmatic has offered about US$100 million to cover about 20 000ha, in a deal that was recently concluded.

These agreements were all in line with the conference’s theme.

They reflect the Zimbabwean Government’s commitment to collaborating with the private sector to climate-proof the country’s agriculture sector and achieve food security.

Irrigation transformation has always lacked finance, so by bringing all these stakeholders together, we will collectively be able to provide a solution to this problem through these various initiatives. The projected national irrigation potential is 2,2 million hectares from the more than 10 600 dams and water bodies.

Agricultural production that is anchored in irrigation is both reliable and highly productive.

It offers a real opportunity for year-round production on the land, thereby optimising on the utilisation of the land itself, labour and machinery, resulting in improved farmer cash flows and income.

The projected area to be developed is 496 000ha, made up of the current developed and functional 217 000ha and 275 000ha additional area required during summer, which is meant to increase the area available for maize production from the current average of 75 000ha to 350 000ha, which is the minimum irrigated area
needed to assure the nation of food self-sufficiency.

An estimated production of 1,8 million tonnes of maize is anticipated from this targeted 350 000ha during summer, and an additional minimum of 1,4 million tonnes of wheat will be produced in winter, making Zimbabwe a net exporter of wheat, which production is adequate to feed the whole nation.

The national functional area under irrigation increased from 175 000ha prior to 2020 to the current figure of 217 000ha.

Out of the 217 000ha, 141 000ha are available for cereals, tobacco and other crops, while 75 000ha were provided for maize production during the 2023/2024 summer season.

An increase in irrigable land is crucial in supporting the attainment of an empowered and prosperous upper middle-income economy, as well as achievement of the National Development Strategy 1 targets.

Through irrigation development, we will truly guarantee that our country is food, nutrition, fibre and oil secure, and that we will not only be the “breadbasket of Africa” again, but this time the breadbasket of the world.

Prof Obert Jiri is the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.

 

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