Agriculture Reporter
Zimbabwe lacks adequate funding for irrigation development and has resorted to other countries for help.

The friendly countries will facilitate transfer of irrigation systems and machinery.

Agriculture Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made yesterday said irrigation required a lot of money for establishing and resuscitating schemes. He said Treasury was releasing far less of the required funds. Minister Made said although the Finance Minister Tendai Biti was allocating funds to the agriculture sector, this was only on paper as the actual disbursement was different.

“The most undermining factor in the irrigation sector is financial resources. What development can you carry out when you are allocated US$11 million and given US$2 million? There is need for adequate funding to enable the buying of materials, fixing and maintenance, but as long as the Finance Minister Biti talks of allocations that do not match with the actual disbursement, we have a problem,” Minister Ma