IFAD extends $25,5m irrigation grant to govt
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is today expected to extend a $25,5 million grant to government to support smallholder irrigation revival programmes in Zimbabwe.
BY VICTORIA MTOMBA
The signing ceremony for the grant, which was approved by IFAD in September this year, will take place in Rome, Italy.
“The Small Irrigation Revitalisation Programme (SIRP) is targeting 4 000 hectares of smallholder irrigation schemes in communal and old resettlement areas in Manicaland, Masvingo, Matabeleland South and Midlands provinces,” Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa said.
“The objective of the programme is to sustainably increase diversified production, productivity, income and improve resilience of households in the selected areas.”
He said the programme seeks to provide support to improve market access and capacity-building measures in order to boost food security, enhance management capacities within government and farmers institutions and ensure the sustainability of the investment.
The country has 11 000 dams which are not fully utilised due to lack of a sound agricultural policy.
Regional average maize yields per hectare are two metric tonnes, but for Zimbabwe they are as low as 0,5 metric tonnes.
Zimbabwe requires $2 billion to repair and revive the dilapidated irrigation infrastructure.
Chinamasa said the SIRP was consistent with the government’s overall policy objective to enhance food security and poverty eradication in line with the country’s economic blueprint, ZimAsset.
He said the programme was also contributing to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 1 (end poverty in all its forms everywhere) and Goal 2 (end hunger and achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture).
IFAD is a United Nations agency that is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries.
Preparations for the 2016/7 agricultural season are underway with most farmers having tilled the land and expecting to have a good season.