Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister Dr Anxious Masuka fired the head of an Agricultural Rural Development Authority (Arda)-run agriculture scheme in Lupane on the spot and said the parastatal’s operations are not in sync with the Second Republic’s thrust of transforming the country’s economy through agriculture.
Dr Masuka was also riled by the fact that Government has
had to write off a sorghum crop at the Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme in
Binga as a result of “remote management”, leading to a wastage of resources.
He breathed fire during a tour of the Bubi-Lupane
Irrigation Project and the Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme on Friday, where he
was accompanied by Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution
Minister Richard Moyo.
The minister said a lackadaisical approach to work had no
place in the Second Republic that was anchored on maximisation of resources and
betterment of citizens’ lives through production.
Despite the ineptitude at the irrigation schemes, the
country is on the verge of its largest harvest in 37 years with farmers
expecting to reap between 2,5 and 2,8 million tonnes of maize and above 360 000
tonnes of traditional small grains following above normal rains that fell countrywide
this year.
Dr Masuka was not impressed with the sorghum crop in Lupane
and said it was unlikely that a meaningful yield would be realised. He
instructed that it be removed.
The crop was not properly planted leaving a lot of gaps in
between, leading the minister to conclude that poor agronomic work was on
display.
The Bubi-Lupane Irrigation Project is being revived and
benefited from three centre pivots from Government. Arda is the project manager
and works with the local community in planting of crops.
Dr Masuka fired on site, the Bubi-Lupane Irrigation Project
manager for alleged incompetence saying the same will befall officials who fail
to meet Government’s expectations in the transformation of the agriculture
sector.
Chronicle could not establish the official’s name.
“I’m not happy with Arda’s performance, you are still in
the past. Arda must wake up to the realities of the Second Republic and the
President’s thrust of using agriculture as a vehicle for the attainment of
vision 2030,” said Dr Masuka.
He said Government has set minimum requirements for
managing Arda irrigation sites. Dr Masuka said going forward, Government wants
Arda managers to be stationed on-site as opposed to visiting the farms.
“When you employ you must pay only a basic survival salary
to that scheme manager. It must be a performance-based contract and 75 percent
of the annual salary must come from a crop production bonus. The crop
production bonus is predetermined. For wheat we want 4,5 to 5 tonnes per
hectare they (farm managers) get their two percent on the net. If they are
unable to do that then it means they will be a sunset clause in that contract
which says the moment they harvest and it not happened (achieving the yield
target) it means the contract automatically lapses,” said Dr Masuka.
“So, we don’t deal with this perennial problem of hiring
mediocre people that do not want to grow this community. This scheme in the
years ahead will be the envy of many districts. It is our intention with Minister
Moyo to bring the Presidency here to launch the 200 hectares per district. This
will be the first district to attain 200 hectares. We want that wheat to be a
classic crop so that we can plan for launch of the 200 hectare per district by
the President and I suggest that it takes place here. It has to happen.”
He said Government is moving towards having each district
having 200 hectares of crop under irrigation as part of measures to ensure the
country has food security.
“Government policy is that Zimbabwe is going to get drier
in the decades ahead. So, we must climate proof our agriculture. Our population
is increasing and vision 2030 beckons. Therefore, we must prepare and transform
agriculture and through it transform rural livelihoods.
That is why the President has indicated that he wants to
see 200 hectares per district,” he said.He said the sorghum crop was a
write-off and Arda should bear the cost.
“This crop is unlikely to yield anything due to poor
agronomy. So, the intervention is that we convert this immediately into fodder
and stop the irrigation. We plan for winter wheat for pivot number one and
pivot number two with all the water now going to pivot number three where we
have 60 hectares of sugar beans, where we are likely to salvage something if
it’s not commercial then it’s for the communities that have already worked and
we pay them for their labour and everything through that. You as Arda you will
recoup your costs on the next wheat crop without burdening the community. The
community’s investment is to make a living out of agriculture and agriculture
as a business,” he said.
Dr Masuka said Arda should start preparing for winter wheat
farming as it removes the sorghum.
“As you can see the planting itself was done poorly and it
is our considered view that at this stage we must prepare better for the next
crop. We must admit that we have failed on this crop and we must pledge and
commit to do better on the next crop. We will be employing a professional
scheme manager who will be assisting in the management of the scheme and we
will replicate this,” said Dr Masuka.
At the Bulawayo Kraal, the minister did not mince his words
as he read a riot act to the new Arda board and management to up its game and
prove its worth.
He said full-time managers must be stationed at Bulawayo
Kraal and Bubi-Lupane Irrigation as one of the remedial measures.
“Today we were touring Arda estates in Matabeleland North.
We started with Bubi-Lupane and now we are at Bulawayo-Kraal. At both schemes
we learnt about how not to farm and clearly the two schemes at this stage are a
write-off.
“We are disappointed that resources went down the drain but
however, we are pleased that the new Arda board chairman and chief executive
are with us to see why we have been talking about Arda needing a
transformation. I look forward to this board and management transforming Arda
and agriculture as well as the rural landscape in pursuit of the noble vision
by the President for an upper and empowered middle-income society by 2030,”
said Dr Masuka.
Minister Moyo said the scheme requires a hands-on approach.
He said plans are underway to prepare for planting winter wheat and beans in
the next few weeks.
The Bulawayo Kraal project has been failing to produce a successful crop due to a myriad of challenges including recurrent pipe leaks. The projects seek to create employment for locals and alleviate poverty through transforming the area into an economic hub.
Binga District is traditionally viewed as lagging in terms
of development and the irrigation scheme is one of the many projects in the
area to show the potential of the district to sustain itself and feed the
province.
The scheme will cover 15 000ha and will provide food and
nutrition security in the country in the backdrop of climate change and
recurrent drought.
Arda entered into partnership with a local investor to
develop the 15 000ha piece of land into a food and export crops as well as
crocodile farming zone.
Irrigation equipment including three centre pivots and
pipes to draw water from Zambezi River are already in place.
Newly-appointed Arda board chairman Mr Ivan Craig said a
mammoth task lies ahead of the parastatal and this will include proper planning
and having on-the-ground managers. Chronicle
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