By Derick Tsimba
Cabinet has considered and approved the Accelerated Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development Plan: 2021-2025 to pursue a number of specific objectives, among them, increasing the annual cropping area from 156 000 to 350 000 hectares, the Harare Post can report.
Yesterday during its 42nd Post-Cabinet Press Briefing, Cabinet said it had considered and approved the Accelerated Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development Plan: 2021-2025.
“Cabinet considered and approved the Accelerated Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development Plan: 2021-2025 as presented by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement on behalf of the Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Food Security and Nutrition.
“The Accelerated Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development Plan will pursue a number of specific objectives, among them, increasing the annual cropping area from 156 000 to 350 000 hectares and developing irrigation area to 400 000 hectares by 2025.
“This will be achieved through rehabilitation and modernisation of 45 000 hectares of existing irrigation; development of 204 000 hectares of new irrigation infrastructure across the country to enable meaningful production in marginal areas; rehabilitation of 26 000 hectares of communal irrigation on 450 irrigation schemes; and establishment of a Presidential District Irrigation Vision 2030 Accelerator, comprising 200 hectares per district,” said Cabinet.
Cabinet also said the Plan will seek to improve efficiency of water use by adopting modern irrigation systems.
“The Plan will also seek to improve efficiency of water use by adopting modern irrigation systems as well as access to finance, inputs and markets, and to improve governance and business ethic for irrigation schemes. The policy and regulatory environment will be improved in order to motivate private sector participation and accelerate dam and irrigation infrastructure development, while the establishment of micro-water harvesting and irrigation methods for households will be promoted and incentivised,” said Cabinet.
