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Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
THE Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) has started deploying business development managers to community irrigation schemes countrywide to help boost production and enhance rural industrialisation.

Arda chairman Mr Ivan Craig said the move was part of the state enterprise’s operationalisation of Statutory Instrument 38 of 2021.

Among other things, the legal instrument makes it mandatory for irrigation-based projects to operate as business entities in line with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), which identifies agriculture as one of the major economic drivers.

Mr Craig said they had so far deployed 26 business development managers to work with community members in improving operations and help realise the much-needed returns that push sustainable economic growth and at the same time addressing issues of food security.

Mr Craig was speaking during a tour of the resuscitated Jalukange Irrigation Scheme in Beitbridge’s Ward 8, which is part of the nine irrigation projects Government and other development agencies are rehabilitating.

“One of our mandates as Arda is to manage 450 irrigation schemes in the country with a total of 10 500 hectares, excluding the new schemes, and we are looking at surpassing that target,” said Mr Craig.

“So, our business model includes deploying business development managers at each irrigation scheme and we are capacitating them, working hand-in-hand with the Department of Agriculture Extension Services (Agritex).

Additionally, we have to come in with a plan for the irrigation scheme, which starts with rehabilitation, efficient water use, whether it can be drip or the use of centre pivots, and in some instances, we have to do away with the wasteful flood irrigation models.”

Arda is also working with the Agriculture Marketing Authority (AMA) and ZimTrade to identify markets for the crops and any other organisation that needs crop production.

This is done to avoid having different crops on a scheme that is not economically viable.

They are using a block system of a uniform crop on a scheme because it helps farmers negotiate discounted prices on inputs and helps on marketing their produce.

“The idea is to make each irrigation scheme a centre of excellence. This is a setup where we are going to be producing whatever product and the people around the scheme will also be able to come for training on modern farming schemes,” said Mr Craig.

He said it was critical to create business farmers and shift from the business-as-usual attitude.
The business development managers will help with training on production and creation of business models for the communal farmers.

“They need to know how to make money, budget, and go back to the field. By so doing, we want everybody to benefit.

The uptake on the ground is encouraging and in the 26 irrigation schemes we have, we have deployed our business development managers who are working hand-in-hand with Agritex and there is good progress there,” said Mr Craig.
Beitbridge District Development Co-ordinator Mrs Sikhangazile Mafu-Moyo said the model had proved to be effective considering the rate at which production was peaking at some irrigation projects.

“What we need is to continue creating an optimum environment as Government for more investment in the agriculture sector. It’s important that the irrigations schemes are mechanised and at the same time we train more human resources to spread the knowledge.”

She said the level of commitment to delivering by most communal farmers was encouraging and they were set to benefit from the introduction of more cash crops to be done under a specified standard.

District agronomist Ms Eve Kuza said more women were taking up space at the rehabilitated projects.

“You will note that most of these projects are now using green energy (solar) and doing continuous soil testing, which will see them producing throughout the year and be able to improve their income levels,” she said. — @tupeyo