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Vice President Mphoko

Samuel Kadungure in Nyanga
Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko says the country needs to revamp its irrigation policy to ensure irrigation schemes meet their mandate to mitigate the negative impact of drought and achieve food security.

VP Mphoko said this in an interview last week during his tour of Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme in Nyanga North.

He said it was only through drought mitigation that the country could produce sufficient food every year.

VP Mphoko said achieving food security was an important target in tackling poverty.

“The situation here is far much better, the farmers are better off, though they have operational challenges,” he said. “We need to take irrigation development seriously, especially at policy level.

“We have to make sure that what I have seen at Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme is replicated in other schemes. We need an aggressive policy to ignite life into our irrigation schemes,” VP Mphoko said.

“When people are working, they need to be assisted so that they can realise their potential,” he said. “Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme can be a bastion of drought mitigation if it gets the required assistance. We need to approach our partners so that they can assist the scheme to fufil its potential. We cannot rely on rain-fed agriculture anymore. Imagine what happens when the rains are sporadic. Disaster.”

Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme was established between 1997 and 2000 with funding from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on 700 hectares.

The irrigation scheme, however, covers 431ha. The other part could not be completed due to financial challenges.

A team of engineers from JICA was in the country recently to carry out a feasibility study for the scheme’s second phase.

Under this new phase, which has already been approved by Government, JICA, which is an arm of the Japanese Aid Programme, will redesign and open up 138ha and rehabilitate pump stations.

The project is set to be fully operational next year. The Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme has already benefited many families in the community through poverty alleviation and food produc- tion.

Tabasco chilli growing is the most pronounced crop, with 743 farmers cultivating the crop that is expected to yield about 300 tonnes.

The farmers also grow another chilli variety called African Bird’s Eye, maize, tomatoes, wheat and green beans.