Government has come up with a strategy to expand national irrigation area

GOVERNMENT has a 50-year plan in place for developing two million hectares of irrigation as a national development strategy to counter climate change and recurrent droughts.
This was revealed at a Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) congress held recently, at which it was highlighted that the plan will run up to 2063.
It was revealed that government embarked on the plan in 2013, although little has been known or said about it so far.
Irrigation potential for Zimbabwe, according to government figures, covers an area between two million and 2,4 million hectares. However, only 122 000 hectares of that potential is actually developed for irrigation.
In his report to the congress, CFU president Peter Steyl highlighted the need for the development and rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure in agriculture.
“An increase in irrigation-based crop production will assist Zimbabwe to produce staple food surpluses on a regular basis again and dispense with the need to rely on food imports. An increase in the output of exported farm produce due to irrigation expansion will boost foreign exchange earnings that can be used to accelerate economic development,” Steyl said.
There are indications that at least 72 000 hectares of developed irrigated land is unutilised as irrigation schemes scattered across the country have collapsed and no longer functional, while irrigation equipment in most areas was destroyed mostly during the land redistribution exercise. Most of the equipment lies idle in farms as most dams also require rehabilitation.
“A strategy to expand the national irrigation area must first bring the 72 000 hectares that is already developed, but unused, back into production. This represents a ‘quick start’ approach to a national programme of irrigation development,” Steyl added.
Irrigation development in Zimbabwe has tremendous income generating capacity, with agriculture being the country’s main driver of economic development. Borrowing from the past, in the 1970’s the potential for irrigation development was outlined in a proposal called the “Golden Dawn”. At that time 35 500 hectares had been brought under irrigation by private enterprise and the Sabi-Limpopo Authority.
“In essence, and using financial data that has been updated to 2015, the detailed proposal stated that US$3 billion worth of agricultural produce could be generated every year by developing up to 405 000 hectares under irrigation.
“The development was focused in the basins of the Lundi, Save, and other rivers lying south-east of the country’s main watershed. This region has good soils and abundant river water and excellent dam sites. However, it lies mainly in Natural Region 5 which has low and very erratic rainfall and irrigation is essential if cropping is to flourish,” Steyl said.
Besides sugar, it was foreseen that rice, cotton, winter wheat, and horticultural crops could be grown in those areas and estimates indicated that the development would cost US$5,6 billion over 25 years, providing nearly 400 000 jobs in farming, industry and commerce in the region.
From the proposal, some development has occurred at Mkwasine, Chisumbanje, the Middle Sabi East Bank and more lately the Tokwe-Mukorsi Dam. However, only one sixth of the potential irrigation area has been developed and there is scope for irrigated agriculture expansion in the region.
“Furthermore, there are also other areas of Zimbabwe that have good potential for irrigation development, For example, the proposed Kudu Dam on the Munyati River near Kadoma will result in an irrigable area of 30 000 hectares in the Kadoma, Sanyati, and Gokwe areas, which will generate jobs in all sectors of the value chain for an estimated 100 000 people. Another dam planned for this region is the Mhondoro B Dam to be constructed near Chegutu. A whole range of crops can be produced when both of these developments take place. Further afield, Muzarabani District in the Zambezi Valley is another example of an opportunity for irrigation development.
“As a major goal for the future Zimbabwe must strive to achieve a “Golden Dawn” as originally envisaged. Besides providing dependable food supplies to Zimbabwe’s urban centres and ensuring food security for all persons, our manufacturing sector will receive better and more reliable supplies of raw materials for value addition. Examples include ethanol extraction from sugar and textile products from cotton lint.”
Irrigation development is an important component of government’s Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation economic blueprint.
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