Source: The Herald – Breaking news.
Professor Obert Jiri 
Precious Manomano, Herald Reporter
ZIMBABWE is on track to harvest over 1,8 million tonnes of maize from 350 000 hectares that were put under irrigation in the summer cropping season.
An additional 1,4 million tonnes of irrigated wheat, barley and potatoes are expected in winter.
Zimbabwe’s annual maize requirement is approximately 2,2 million tonnes, with 1,8 million tonnes for human consumption and 400 000 tonnes for livestock feed.
According to a report presented by the Permanent Secretary for Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Professor Obert Jiri, to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Agriculture recently, the country needs at least 350 000 hectares of functional irrigated land as the minimum capacity to ensure that the nation becomes food self-sufficient regardless of climate.
“To achieve this, the projected area to be developed is 496 000 hectares, made up of the current developed and functional 217 000 hectares, and 275 000 hectares of additional area required during winter,” he said.
Cabinet approved the Accelerated Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development Plan in 2021 with the aim of developing 350 000ha for summer irrigation by 2025.
This was meant to produce 1.8 million tonnes of summer cereals annually at 5 tonnes per ha, which is enough to feed the nation and generate a surplus annually.
The ministry also estimates that with improved efficiencies, more use of groundwater, and use of transboundary water resources such as Kariba Dam, the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers, a total identified potential irrigable area of 2 244 835ha can be developed, more than 10-times the 217 000 hectares now regarded as functional.
Dams such as Tugwi Mukosi in Masvingo have the capacity to irrigate 40 000ha in Chiredzi and Chivi.
Marovanyati Dam in Manicaland has the capacity to irrigate 1 250ha in Buhera, while Muchekeranwa dam in Mashonaland East has the capacity to irrigate 1 400ha in Makoni and Marondera.
Mutirikwi dam in Masvingo will irrigate 3 000ha in Masvingo.
Lilstock dam in Mashonaland Central is expected to irrigate 7 000ha in Bindura, Mazowe, and Mt Darwin while Biri dam in Mashonaland Central is expected to irrigate 4 000ha in Zvimba and Makoni.
Dams under construction are expected to irrigate 38 953 ha, with Semwa in Mashonaland Central having the potential to irrigate 12 000 ha in Rushinga, Gwayi Shangani in Matabeleland North to irrigate 10 000 ha in Hwange, and Bindura dam in Mashonaland Central expected to irrigate 1 240ha. Tuli Manyange will irrigate 2 400ha in Gwanda, Dande dam in Mashonaland Central will irrigate 4 000ha in Guruve, Ziminya Dam in Matabeleland North will irrigate 4 500ha in Nkayi, and Vungu in Midlands will irrigate 2 513 ha.
Professor Jiri said Zimbabwe had plans for the creation of irrigated green belts for year-round cropping, such as the opening of 50 000 hectares of new irrigated land along the Tugwi, Runde, and Mwenezi rivers, taking advantage of Tugwi Mukosi Dam, Manyuchi Dam, and the proposed Runde Tende Dam.
There was an immediate revitalisation of above 2500ha of irrigated land at Middle Save, and the opening of 10 000ha of new irrigated land in Mbire District, 3 000ha in Dande Communal Area, 5 000 hectares in Angwa Block, and the opening of 15 000ha of new irrigated land in Binga to utilise the Zambezi water.
Currently, there are 460 documented smallholder irrigation schemes with a total developed area of 26 173 ha directly benefitting 35 585 households.
The Government has introduced the Vision 2030 Accelerator Model, which is a business model for rural irrigation transformation that will be accelerated at speed and pace.
This model is being rolled out to 460 irrigation scheme business units across the country under 26 000 ha of land, and to date, 348 out of 460 irrigation scheme business units have been boarded.
The model is also being used to manage 35 000 village business units, 9 600 school business units, and 68 vocational training centre business units.
The plan under the village business unit programme is for 35 000 companies across villages, each with a solar-powered borehole and solar-driven intensive agriculture production linked to aggregation, value addition, and beneficiation centres.
The irrigable area of land gazetted for joint ventures is 20 686 hectares, with Manicaland covering 1 628ha, Mashonaland Central at 9 385.5ha, Mashonaland East with 5 600ha, Mashonaland West at 1 437.5ha, Masvingo contributing 378.5ha, Matabeleland North at 306ha, Matabeleland South with 887ha, and the Midlands covering 1 066ha.
High-impact dams have been constructed across the country, such as Marovanyati, Muchekeranwa, Chivhu, Gwayi-Shangani, Kunzvi, Tuli-Manyange, Dande, and Ziminya Dams, as well as Tugwi-Mukosi Dam.
Modern conveyancing and irrigation development around these facilities have the potential to realise multi-pronged benefits in terms of expanding the national area of irrigable land, ensuring food security, supporting agro-based industries, and generating broader economic ripple effects.
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