Large-scale irrigation on 200 000 hectares in the Lowveld is now possible as full dams, including the giant new Tugwi Mukosi dam, allow farmers to meet their potential and move into high levels of production of a vast range of crops and manage productive herds of cattle.
Communal farmers will now be a major part of these new
irrigation developments, with President Mnangagwa seeing irrigation as the only
way arid communal lands can ever be powerhouses of production, a policy already
been implemented in the Kanyemba area using Zambezi water.
Lowveld soils are generally fertile and deep, but need
water to produce crops, fruit and a decent cattle industry. In the past Lowveld
irrigation was concentrated on commercial land, but under new policy
initiatives communal communities can now partner with private investors and the
Government to accelerate development.
A fundamental requirement about such communal land
development is that no one is pushed off their land, although homesteads can be
moved very short distances to allow canals or other infrastructure to pass, and
that the communities, the investor and the local rural district council have to
reach agreement with the Government holding the ring.
Among the first of these new deals between a private
investor and a communal lands community is in the Chilonga area along the Runde
River where a great deal of the necessary work to hammer out the agreement has
already been done to create the win-win situation where both farmers and the
investor make a great deal of money.
While there have been fake new reports of people being
evicted, the fundamental policy that no one is pushed off their land has been
embraced by everyone.
No one living in the Chilonga area will be displaced, but
some might need their houses shifted a short distance to allow a canal to pass,
Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo stressed last night, so
that all in the area can benefit from a US$60 million major irrigation scheme
on 6 000ha, about three percent of the future irrigated area in the Lowveld,
Speaking on Zimbabwe Newspapers Television Network (ZTN)
last night, Minister Moyo said Government had no intention to displace people.
“We have told the investor that we do not want to displace
anybody. This land belongs to the State and planning is going to be undertaken
by the Ministry of Lands together with the investor, plus of course those who
are going to benefit. The rural district council, as the land authority there,
will remain seized with the issue.
“Chief Sengwe, Chief Showani and others who are involved
obviously will want their people to benefit and we will not leave them out in
our formulation,” said Minister Moyo.
A few households would be slightly affected. “Government
officials have gone to the places and we have found that the majority of the people
will remain in their place. A few will be affected but only to the extent that
a canal might pass through their homesteads but their fields are going to use
the canals.
“They are going to have their cattle there and we are not
going to disturb that,” said Minister Moyo.Government’s vision was to empower
communities through projects with partners.
“We will ensure that the communal area becomes productive
and the President has said the only assured way of permanence and sustainable
development in these dry areas is through irrigation.
“We put water in Tugwi Mukosi, Mutirikwi and Manyuchi dams.
We have excess water which is not being used and rather than looking for
commercial farming areas so that investors come and invest there, our President
is saying let’s go to communal areas which have good land and do something for
them,” he said.
Government could not afford all the work so some of the
projects were being done by the private sector.
“We want to make sure that the standard of irrigation is
anchored by somebody. That’s what we are talking about. We are not displacing
our people in the same manner history has taught us. We cannot do that. This
President will not do that.”
Writing on his Twitter handle last night, the Deputy Chief
Secretary to the President and Cabinet Responsible for Presidential
Communications George Charamba said the lucerne growing was a small part of the
development plan of the affected area.
“The plan is far-flung and involves irrigation of over 200
000 hectares under thousands of centre pivots, all for crop, fruit and beef
production.
“Those wishing to diss the project do so by presenting it
as a one-item affair which it isn’t. They also predicate it on the coming in of
an outsider as a fodder grower, forgetting the bulk of the plan is
State-involved and funded for the development of community and country.
“Anyway, there will be complete communication from
Government, both by a comprehensive statement and a refashioned Statutory
Instrument.” Herald
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