270 000 locals on farming land waiting list

ABOUT 270 000 locally based Zimbabweans and 10 000 in the Diaspora have applied for land and are on the waiting list as more and more people develop an interest in farming, a Cabinet Minister has said.

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka said this while addressing delegates attending the inaugural irrigation investment conference in the capital on Friday.

He said as the country continues to register success stories on the agriculture front, more people locally and abroad are developing an interest in farming.

“Everyone wants to farm. I have seen a doubling in the number of people on the waiting list, 270 000 Zimbabweans locally and 10 000 in the Diaspora,” he said.

Masuka said the vision of his Ministry was for all available land meant for irrigation to be fully utilised with the country having about 217 000 hectares irrigable and 20 800 hectares having developed irrigation infrastructure, but without irrigation.

He said they are now seeking investors to invest in the 20 800 hectares through joint ventures.
The ongoing drought has taught that there is need to delink rainfall from production and once that is done successfully, the country will produce without rainfall but through irrigation.

“The other lesson we learnt as we were going through a drought as Ministry of Agriculture, as we led farmers to do 3,2 million hectares and watch that succumb to drought, was that we must as a nation emerge stronger, we must emerge more united, more resilient and better able to withstand future droughts,” he said, adding these were important lessons from the worst drought in 43 years.

Speaking at the same event, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube said this year resources amounting to ZiG88,4 million have been budgeted for under the irrigation sector targeting key areas such as irrigation rehabilitation, development of irrigation infrastructure and maintenance of communal irrigation schemes.

“Furthermore, to complement irrigation development, the Government will continue to support construction of dams, as you know, conveyancing systems to feed water to irrigation schemes,” he said.

He said major dams such as Tugwi Mukosi, Muchekeranwa, Marovanyati and others which have been commissioned for irrigation, are now viewed as an economy. — New Ziana