The Sunday News
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
THE Government has budgeted more than $3 million for rehabilitation and support of irrigation schemes in the Midlands Province to enhance food production in the wake of anticipated drought due to erratic rainfall.
In an interview last week, Midlands provincial irrigation officer, Engineer Shingirirai Zano, said there were 42 smallholder/communal irrigation projects in the province of which 35 were fully functional and the difference needed rehabilitation, upgrading or modernisation.
“We have a provincial budget of $3,7 million from the Government targeting 200 hectares per each district for this financial year. The money is under the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP).
However, the money is not enough considering the increase in prices for the irrigation equipment most of which requires foreign currency especially pumps, and raw materials for PVC pipes,” he said.
Eng Zano said they were targeting the development irrigation schemes in Gokwe North and Mberengwa.
“We are targeting the development of 796 hectares but priority has being given to Mtange 134 hectares in Gokwe South, Chaora Block 230 hectares in Mberengwa, Neta 20 hectares in Mberengwa. Most of the contractors with contracts on a number of projects have requested for an upward variation of the prices an issue currently under discussion with the Ministry of Finance and the Procurement Regulatory
Authority of Zimbabwe for a way forward,” he said.
Eng Zano said irrigation schemes ought to take a leading role in producing food for the country to be self-sufficient. He said in the Midlands Province there were 21 000 hectares of land under irrigation, mostly in Kwekwe District.
Last week two irrigation schemes support programmes in support of Government initiative to enhance food capacity and security being spearheaded by a local non-governmental organisation called the Centre for Conflict Management and Transformation (CCMT) were launched in Mberengwa and Vungu districts respectively.
The irrigation scheme support programmes have resulted in conflict transformation and leadership workshops and the setting up of District Irrigation Committees for the smooth running of irrigation schemes such as Insukamini and Biri Extension in Mberengwa and Vungu.
