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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
GOVERNMENT has intensified efforts to ensure Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme in Binga District is fully operational.

At least 200 hectares of land have been cleared and ready to be tilled while a further 200ha is being prepared.

The irrigation scheme, which is being expanded to cover 15 000 hectares, will promote food and nutrition security in the district once cultivation of crops is in full swing.

Pipe bursts have over the years derailed efforts to fully implement the project which at one stage employed close to 200 people.

Government recently put the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) in charge taking over from the department of irrigation which had been managing the project over the years.

Arda has since entered into a joint venture with a local private company to put 15 000 hectares of land under food and export crops as well as start crocodile farming.

The authority recently invited tenders for piping works, a reflection of the Government’s to transforming the arid district to alleviate poverty and create employment.

The new works to be done include installing a new pumping and piping system drawing water from Zambezi River.

The scheme has seven centre pivots but only three have been working.

Pipes for the mainline from the Zambezi River to the overnight storage dams are on site while three centre pivots have been rehabilitated.

Another overnight storage dam and pump engine houses are almost complete. An engine pump with a capacity to pump 315 cubic metres of water per hour has been installed in the Zambezi River.

Government has already released funds for the completion of most of the works at the scheme and planting is expected to start in September.

The Second Republic is prioritising the revival of the agricultural sector through the development of irrigation schemes to guarantee food security particularly in rural communities.

Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga’s countless visits to the irrigation scheme to assess progress reflects the New Dispensation’s commitment to fulfilling the devolution agenda.

Arda chief Executive Mr Tinotenda Mhiko yesterday said a new tender process had been opened and plans were underway to ensure 400ha had adequate irrigation water.

“We have tendered for rework on the existing infrastructure which will see a total of 380ha being efficiently irrigated. We expect to get the winning contractor on-site by mid-August and the work should take two months at most to complete,” he said.

Mr Mhiko said they plan to plant the entire 380 ha with sorghum and target to get US$400 000 from at least 1 500 tonnes of grain.

“The scheme is very critical in breathing new life to the rural area of Binga as it will create employment and contribute to food security. The medium term plan is to put up rural industries in Matabeleland North to value-add the produce from such schemes,” he said.

The scheme’s chairperson Mr Titus Munkuli said six people are employed on site to guard the equipment and there are 99 members of the scheme.

He said the district patiently waits for completion of the project.

“We have seen some progress lately as they want to replace old pipes. They have said planting will start in September and we are hopeful this will happen. They have promised to give 50ha to the beneficiaries who will directly benefit from the produce and this simply shows good intentions by the Government,” he said.

Once fully implemented, the scheme will see the nearby Manjolo area being transformed into a fully-fledged Growth Point with residential compounds for workers, a police station and clinic.

Zanu-PF Binga District Coordinating Committee chair Cde Vwelenga Mugande said the project has potential to supply the whole province with food.

“This is a massive scheme which when properly implemented will guarantee food security not only to this district but the entire province.

The plan is that Manjolo will be developed into a small town where workers will be staying and that’s industrialisation,” he said.

Implementation of Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation will also help in cutting imports and accelerate the attainment of Vision 2030 goals.

Government, under the Agriculture Recovery Plan, has set aside 100 000 hectares of land, which will be transformed into a greenbelt with an anticipated yield of at least 1 million tonnes of maize annually within the next three years. — @ncubeleon