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George Maponga recently in Mwenezi

Masvingo is this year set to harvest a record wheat haul after over 600 hectares were put under the cereal at Mwenezana estates in a private-public-partnership arrangement that is set to help the arid province achieve food sufficiency via irrigation.

The thriving wheat crop at Mwenezana is the poster project under the province’s ambitious drive to ramp up production with an unprecedented combined over 2200ha having been put under the winter crop.

Mwenezana estates winter wheat crop represents the single largest block under irrigated wheat in Masvingo that is being grown in a partnership featuring Government, sugar maker Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe and Masvingo Development Trust (MDT).

Tongaat owns Mwenezana estates, home to the firm’s sugar cane estates and part of the land has been put under irrigation to aid the country’s bid to attain food security in line with Vision 2030.

Speaking during a tour of Mwenezana to assess the wheat crop, Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira commended Tongaat and MDT for partnering Government to engender food security in the province.

”We are very happy with the success of this  public-private-partnership which has been key in helping Masvingo achieve food security over the past few years. We want to applaud Tongaat and MDT for working hand in glove with  the Government to improve food security and stem imports which dovetails with Vision 2030 goals,” said Minister Chadzamira.

The Masvingo provincial affairs minister added that emphasis will continue to be put on using existing and idle water bodies to grow food through irrigation to insulate the country from the effects of climate change which is responsible for erratic rains.

Provincial Agricultural and Rural Development  Advisory Services acting director for Masvingo Mr Aaron Muchazivepi hailed the Mwenezana
winter wheat initiative saying it was part of the province’s drive to exploit its vast irrigation potential.

Mr Muchazivepi noted that Masvingo was this year set for a record wheat harvest after a bigger hectarage was put under the crop.

”For the first time ever we managed to put over 2200ha under winter wheat this year which even surpasses our initial target of 2000ha. Mwenezana estates is our flagship winter wheat project this year
because it is where the largest area under irrigated wheat is found,” he said.

Masvingo province is slowly emerging out of the woods with the province pulling all the stops to exploit its vast irrigation potential and become the cornerstone of the country’s drive to attain food security.