Japan injects $18m for Nyakomba Irrigation expansion

04 Nov, 2016 - 00:11 0 Views
Japan injects $18m for Nyakomba Irrigation expansion

The ManicaPost

Samuel Kadungure Farming Reporter

JAPAN injected US$18 million towards the second phase expansion and repair of existing irrigation infrastructure at Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme in a move that will

drastically reduce adverse impact of climate change and improve household food security among impoverished small-holder farmers.

In 2015, Japanese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Yoshi Hiraish, toured the scheme in Nyanga and expressed readiness to accelerate its expansion and the rehabilitation of broken down irrigation infrastructure after President Mugabe had met the president of the Japan International Co-operation Agency, Professor Akehiko Tanaka and discussed technical co-operation towards poverty reduction.

Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Dr Joseph Made, launched the second phase of the scheme’s expansion in Nyakomba last week.

“The focus is to get Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme which is one of the most critical schemes in the country going. We are happy that the Japanese have committed US$18m to intensify the repair of existing infrastructure at Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme and expansion of the Phase 2 Expansion Project,” said Dr Made.

The Phase 2 expansion programme, which includes construction of pumping facilities, pipelines, irrigation canals, farm pond, drainage, replacement and repairing of existing pumping facilities and flood protection structures pumping station for Block B, C and D which was damaged by floods in 2000, is expected to stretch for 28 months.

It will encompass new irrigation infrastructure for an additional 146ha for A1 for Block A, which had stalled for years due to financial limitations.

Block A will benefit 230 farmers, bringing the total number of small-holder beneficiaries to 861.

The irrigation expansion will stabilise the supply of water for all-year round agricultural crop production.

Ambassador Hiraishi said the expansion programme was a milestone development as water pumps and other irrigation infrastructure would be fully rehabilitated.

JICA representative, Mr Shumon Yoshiara, said expansion work on the scheme would stretch from November 2016 to March 2019.

The public private partnership between Government and JICA is key in enhancing sustainable agriculture and development, given that Zimbabwe’s agriculture had remained heavily reliant on rains and only to suffer from severe weather vagaries.

Nyakomba — which encompasses Blocks B, C and D that measure up to 430 hectares — was established with the assistance from Japan from 1997 to 2000. Japan has so far injected nearly US$52m in Phase 1 of Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme.

However, the facility was damaged by Cyclone Eline in 2000 and since then the scheme, subdivided into 0.8ha per plot holder, has been operating below capacity.

The Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme has already benefited many families in the community through poverty alleviation and food production through the production of maize, beans and Tabasco chilli. Although the scheme has achieved or nearly achieved its target, many problems are being encountered.

Effective scheme operation and maintenance as well as production support services have been adversely affected by weak management and inadequate operating budgets.

This has often resulted in farmers reverting to their traditionally diverse activities, eventually leading to neglect of irrigated areas and low production.

The other challenges confronting it include constantly breaking down of old pumps and vandalised canals.

The pump station along Nyakomba River requires site change as it is prone to damage from floods.

Irrigation farmers also cited high input costs, particularly of seed, fertiliser and chemicals as an acute problem and some are subleasing their plots to raise money for inputs, an indication of the need for input support schemes to enable the farmers to make maximum use of the irrigable land.

Water logging and leaching of nutrients ware also some of the problems haunting farmers at the scheme.

A team of JICA engineers was in the country in February to carry out a feasibility study for the Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme Phase 2 Expansion Project.

 

Share This:

Sponsored Links

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey

This will close in 20 seconds