‘Agriculture key to economic success’

By Thupeyo Muleya

Government is committed to developing irrigation schemes in communal lands with underutilised dams and perennial rivers to ensure food security at household level, a Cabinet Minister said last Friday.

Beitbridge East Member of the House of Assembly Cde Kembo Mohadi made the remarks at a field day at River Ranch irrigation scheme in Beitbridge.

He said: "Agriculture has been observed as the vehicle for turning around the economy, besides addressing national food self-sufficiency thereby reducing food imports.

"A lot of money can be generated through the export of agricultural products.

"Government acknowledges the role irrigation plays in drought mitigation as well as its immense contribution to the national agricultural productivity.

"With irrigation, agricultural production has been increased and stabilised in the high-risk areas and has permitted an expansion of the cropping period to two or three crops per year thereby raising incomes of beneficiaries," said Cde Mohadi.

River Ranch irrigation scheme has 40 plot holders and is still undergoing expansion from the current 20 hectares to 41,5 through the Smallholder Micro-irrigation Development Support programme.

The scheme is a bilateral agreement between Government and the European Commission.

The EC has released 125 000 euro for the project, which started last year and will see 1 800ha put under irrigation by the end of 2011.

Government and farmers will contribute 25 percent of the money needed to capacitate the irrigation scheme.

"This programme is focusing on small-holder irrigation development and food security in supporting poor farmers, undeveloped and disadvantaged communities particularly smallholder farmers in dry regions of Matabeleland South Province," Cde Mohadi said.

He said so far the programme had funded and developed River Ranch (Beitbridge) and Moza extension in Bulilima, while other projects had been lined up.

The MP said, "As farmers, you must strive for self-sufficiency. You must get linked to output and input markets.

"It is not wise for you to wait for Government inputs every season or start blaming Government for delayed distribution of inputs."

To date, the project has seen 900ha of land put under irrigation countrywide.

published by The Herald 30 August 2010