Source: 200 000ha available for winter irrigation | Sunday Mail (Top Stories)

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.

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.

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.