Lynn Munjanja Herald Reporter
Agriculture production at Mazowe Prison Farm received a boost yesterday when Aotea Global Company donated a water pump that uses neither electric power nor fuel.

The rare pump, which is part of the company’s new technology for African solutions, can pump up to 25 000 litres of water per day, was handed over to Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services Commissioner-General Paradzai Zimondi yesterday.

“For the country, it is very good because we have a lot of water bodies and it could help our farmers to be able to sustain themselves,” said Commissioner-General Zimondi.

“For ZPCS, we have a lot of farms around the country and this is one of them and we have been experiencing problems in irrigating our crops, but now we can irrigate a lot of land without using any power at all.

“ZPCS has engaged in a programme with the inmates who will now be able to learn and eventually when they get released and get back to their communities they will be able to sustain their families,” he said.

Commissioner-General Zimondi applauded the concept of irrigation, saying it is very good for the country and it could help farmers to sustain themselves and it would be good for the prison farm because no expenses would be added.

Aotea Global chief executive Mr Richard Burke said he was happy to contribute to Zimbabwe’s unplugged water solutions.

“We have a solution that does not need electric power, solar power or fuel. It uses water itself.

“We offer a number of eco-friendly and sustainable products which are of help in bettering the lives of villages and farmers in Africa by cheaply delivering water to their crops and for drinking, purification and other similar projects

Aotea is a group of companies and partnerships which takes ideas, services and products from countries around the World and introduces them globally.

Currently, they operate in Great Britain, USA, Scandinavia, New Zealand, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Malawi, and are looking at the possibilities of working in other African countries as well.