Govt to approach partners to finance irrigation schemes

30 Nov, 2014 - 02:11 0 Views
Govt to approach partners to finance irrigation schemes Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa

The Sunday News

Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa delivers the 2015 national budget in Parliament last Thursday

Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa delivers the 2015 national budget in Parliament last Thursday

Mesabe Ncube
THE Government is set to approach development partners to finance irrigation rehabilitation programmes set to relieve farmers from the effects of erratic rainfall and climate change effects, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa, said.
Presenting the 2015 budget at the Parliament of Zimbabwe last Thursday, Minister Chinamasa said Government would approach development partners for support for the preparation of the Master Plan, a $5 million project set to combat the effects of climate change on the hydrological cycle and water availability for irrigation, rural and urban water supply, hydropower and the environment.

“The main objective of the Master Plan will be to support the development of a structured programme of climate resilient investments for the development and management of water resources and irrigation infrastructure in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Minister Chinamasa said the plan, which will be implemented in stages, will guide the rehabilitation and operations of existing water resources and irrigation infrastructure.

Reports in the Sunday News in July 2014 indicate that the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the European Union have already pledged to rehabilitate irrigation schemes in some parts of Manicaland and Matabeleland South.

Speaking on the Master Plan, the Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) president, Mr Abdul Nyathi, said they were happy that Government had considered resuscitating irrigation schemes.

He, however, stated that farmers would be happier if Government would go on to implement the plan and not leave it on paper.

“Irrigation has always been in the forefront in previous budgets though implementation does not seem to be taking place,” said Mr Nyathi adding that Government should start walking its talk.

Meanwhile, farmers in Matabeleland South and North are already panicking and predicting drought amid delays in the starting of the rain season.

“We are still waiting for the rain to come so that we can start planting our seeds,” said Mr Jeppu Siziba a subsistence farmer in the Matabeleland North region of Inyathi.

Mr Siziba said it only rained once at the beginning of November in their area since the onset of the season.
Another farmer from Vokola in Filabusi, Miss Sikhangezile Ncube, said they were beginning to worry that they could be faced with drought if there were further delays to the starting of normal rains.

“Everybody wishes for an irrigation scheme in moments like these because our crops usually succumb to heat at a very early stage when the rains delay like now,” said Miss Ncube.

Some farmers in Bulilima had already started drilling their own boreholes and constructing water reservoirs as contingency plans for their semi-arid region. The country’s agriculture production capacity continues to be constrained by reliance on rain-fed agriculture.

Minister Chinamasa said given the abundance of water bodies in the country, development of irrigation schemes remained one of the viable options of increasing agricultural output and productivity.

He allocated $4,4 million for the development and rehabilitation of communal irrigation schemes with an additional $1,5 million being earmarked for feasibility studies and other institutional strengthening activities.

 

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