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Mr Basil Nyabadza

Martin Kadzere Senior Business Reporter
THE Agriculture and Rural Development Authority has earmarked a significant hectarage of land for agriculture production using water drawn from Tokwe Mukosi Dam.ARDA chairman Mr Basil Nyagandza said while plans were still in its infancy, “Arda will be definitely earmarked for a significant hectarage”.

Two weeks ago, a senior official with the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed that the Government would use ARDA to spearhead agriculture development in the Lowveld and Masvingo areas following the completion of Tokwe Mukosi last month.

“With the participation of private capital, there is scope to boost rural economic growth,” said Mr Nyabadza yesterday.

ARDA has been using the Public Private Partnership financing model to fund the revival of most of its idle estates. In the past five years, the authority raised utilisation of its estates from an average of 15 percent to around 75 percent, Mr Nyabadza said in a recent interview.

He said the authority would look at developing plantations in the Lowveld and Masvingo adding climatic condition were ideal for citrus, sugar cane and pecanut production.

The completion of Tokwe Mukosi dam, now the country’s largest inland dam is expected to spur economic boom not only in the host province, Masvingo, but the whole nation.

Irrigation will be the main economic value to be realised from the dam. At a yield of 364 000 megalitres per annum, the dam will have sufficient water to irrigate up to 25 000 hectares.

While the main economic value of the dam will be derived from its use for irrigation to enhance cane production, the dam will also provide investment opportunities in tourism, power generation and ethanol production with potential to create thousands of jobs.

Both existing and new irrigation schemes, mini hydropower plant, hospitality and recreational facilities, a game park, fisheries and crocodile farms are expected to be developed.

Some of the overlapping benefits include the upgrading of the Buffalo Range Airport as well as improvement in the livelihoods of the local communities through creation of jobs. There would also be a broader participation of the locals in the sugarcane farming.

Already, sugarcane growing and processing is the dominant economic activity in the Lowveld.