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Basil Nyabadza

Lovemore Zigara, Midlands Correspondent
THE Agricultural Rural Development Authority (ARDA) is seeking about $500, 000 to desilt Gweru Dam as well as replace irrigation infrastructure at its Fair Acres Estates in Silobela.

ARDA partnered with Northern Farming on the 1, 500- hectare Fair Acres Estates last year on a five-year renewable lease agreement.

However, production has failed to go beyond 500 hectares due to water and irrigation infrastructural challenges.

Basil Nyabadza, the ARDA board chairperson, said hectarage at the estate can only be ramped up when water and infrastructure challenges at the estate are addressed.

“We want to increase production at the estate but this can only be done when we invest in the water management systems. For a start there is a need to ensure that Gweru Dam is desilted (to remove suspended silt from the dam) so that we increase the storage capacity of the dam.”

“Once we increase the dam storage capacity then we focus on the infrastructural development. Most of the equipment at the estate has broken down and there is a need to replace it. The estate needs an injection of more funding to the tune of $500, 000 for this exercise which will enhance production on the entire estate.”

At the moment, Nyabadza said, the 500 hectares at the estate have been put under soya beans.
ARDA has 21 estates covering 98, 000 hectares of arable land with an irrigable capacity of 19, 000 hectares.

Out of these farms, only Chisumbanje, being utilised by Green Fuel, is operating at optimum level.

The authority needs at least $100 million to be fully capitalised and return to viability.

In a move aimed at breathing life into the estates to ensure productivity, ARDA has entered into public private partnerships, with the latest joint venture being set up at ARDA Esigodini.

The parastatal has partnered with Schweppes Zimbabwe and is setting up a tomato processing plant in Esigodini and Norton.