Harare, (New Ziana) – Private investors must come on board to complement government efforts in developing irrigation and other services in the agricultural sector to ensure food security and sovereignty, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Friday.
Addressing delegates at the Inaugural Zimbabwe Irrigation Investment Conference in the capital, President Mnangagwa said due to climate change the region has been projected to be more drought prone in the decades to come and it was now urgent and imperative to ‘think outside the box’ for the purpose of de-risking the nation from the vagaries of climate change.
He said stakeholders and communities should accelerate the implementation and adoption of mechanisms to climate-proof the agriculture sector, beginning at household level “The convening of this meeting is opportune, given that Zimbabwe and Africa continue to face and grapple with the realities of climate change. Further, irrigation driven agriculture is under renewed attention in view of its centrality for the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2, on eliminating poverty and ending hunger.
“Undoubtedly, the Conference will provide an invaluable platform for farmers, experts, Government and the private sector, along with other stakeholders in the agriculture space to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of the sector at national, regional and international levels,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said the theme for the conference, ‘Public-Private Partnerships for Sustainable and Structured Irrigation Financing to Deliver Food Security; Everywhere, Every Day,’ underscores the urgency with which the nation must approach the development of innovative funding solutions and investment for irrigation in agriculture.
He called for an African continental aspiration to feed itself. He added that Zimbabwe under the Second Republic, has drawn invaluable lessons from the robust and responsive policies implemented to empower people, so that they are able to produce their own food “Models centred around unproductive food aid are not sustainable and disempower communities from the right to chart their own destiny.
There is a need, therefore, for policies, projects and funding models which strike an intricate balance between the protection of the dignity of communities, state guaranteed welfare support and the business case of investors to fund viable projects,” President Mnangagwa said.
“To date, my administration has rolled out the Accelerated Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development Agenda. Our paradigm has shifted through the deliberate expansion of our water harvesting and irrigation development programmes.
This has seen the prioritisation of extensive dam construction, both in pace and scale, with corresponding development nodes which include power generation, fisheries, water and sanitation, to complement agriculture activity,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said dams had been constructed across our country, such as Marovanyati, Muchekeranwa, Chivhu, Gwayi-Shangani, Kunzvi, Tuli-Manyange, Dande and Ziminya Dams as well as Tugwi-Mukosi Dam which will play a pivotal role in ensuring food security.
He said modern irrigation development around these facilities has the potential to realise multi-pronged benefits in terms of the national total area of irrigable land, food security, agro-based industries and other ripple effects to the broader economy.
The Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme, he said, has led to unprecedented harvests of maize and other traditional grains, while building climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience across communities.
He added that the total hectarage under irrigation, between 2019 and 2024, increased by 24 percent, representing the fastest irrigation development phase since the attainment of independence.
“The rehabilitation of other community assets such as weirs and reservoirs are being attended to. Funding and partnerships for tailor-made agriculture starter packs, including affordable irrigation kits that meet the needs of smallholder farmers, are welcome,” President Mnangagwa said.
“To date, numerous successes have been scored and lessons learnt, while our people have a greater sense of self-belief in their abilities and high work ethic, with regard to production and productivity. This makes us confident that with further investments in irrigation development, agriculture modernisation and mechanisation we can realise win-win benefits,” he said.
He said the government welcomed investments and partnerships for the development of additional land for irrigation purposes around new dams for cereal production, high-value crops and pastures.
He said the government was determined to efficiently use the national water capacity stock, including underground water resources, for the holistic socio-economic development of the country and the region.
He added that the positive results realised by Government entities and private sector players, who have partnered to finance, develop, and manage irrigation projects, are applauded.
The meeting saw the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the Government and two companies, Pedstock and Valley brands, worth USD 203 million for 35 725 hectares of land to go under irrigation.
New Ziana
