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Cde Shuvai Mahofa

Walter Mswazie, Masvingo Correspondent
THE Government is set to clear about 4 000 hectares of land for sugarcane farming in Mwenezi in a scheme that will benefit 200 farmers, a Minister has said.

This comes in the wake of the recent completion in the construction of Tokwe – Mukorsi Dam whose water is earmarked to irrigate about 26 000 hectares of agricultural land.

The biggest inland dam in the country was completed on Monday last week and is already accumulating water from rains falling in its catchment area.

Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Cde Shuvai Mahofa said the project of clearing land for the proposed sugarcane plots is spearheaded by the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) with all modalities to start having reached an advanced stage.

She said chances are that some farmers whose offer letters for sugarcane farms in Chiredzi were withdrawn by government are going to be considered but first preference will be given to those within the Tokwe-Mukorsi catchment area.

“We are assisted by Arda who have gone on the ground to make preliminary assessment on the identified land as part of a feasibility study. About 4 000 hectares of sugarcane land will be available in Mwenezi.

The authority‘s chairman Mr Basil Nyabadza and his entourage went to Mwenezi last month and I have been told the project will start anytime soon,” said Minister Mahofa.

She said some farms will get their water from Manyuchi Dam.

Cde Mahofa said villagers at Chingwizi who were evacuated from Tokwe-Mukorsi Dam’s flood basin after floods in February 2014, would be moved to farms identified by the Government.

“Government has also made available about 6 000 hectares of land for Chingwizi villagers at Masangula, Mutirikwi, Lundi Ranch in Mwenezi. The land will be under irrigation and villagers will be presented with options whether to embark on maize or sugarcane farming. “Modalities have been put in place to start moving them to their permanent settlements within Mwenezi,” she said.

She attributed the delay in their relocation to lack of transport and subsistence allowances for officials from the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement but was optimistic that treasury will soon address the challenges.

Minister Mahofa said Finance and Economic Development Minister Cde Patrick Chinamasa has committed himself to, next year, releasing more than $8 million to compensate about 2 500 families who were forced to flee from the flooding.

So far Government has released $2 million to compensate about 500 families.

@walterbmswazie2