FOR Zimbabwe to become a successful agro-industry-based nation, the development of irrigation schemes countrywide should be a top priority.
The new dispensation, touted to transform the economic fortunes of the country, can only be considered to have succeeded when produce from our land begins to continually turn the wheels of our industry.
The country must also permanently retain its breadbasket status, not only of the region, but on a global scale.
No wonder in his inaugural address to the nation, President Emmerson Mnangagwa was emphatic in pointing out how critical agriculture is to reviving our economy.
A distressing sight in most parts of the country these days is that of wilting crops or tobacco showing false signs of ripening due to high temperatures.
The dreaded drought is rearing its ugly head again.
Let’s wind the clock back to our last cropping season.
This time last year, there was an attractive crop in the fields and rains were abundant.
But should we just fold our hands and say the success we witnessed last year should only be expected when we have good rains?
Minus good rains, should we then divert our efforts to extending the begging bowl.
The answer is an emphatic ‘no’.
With the numerous waterbodies we have, Command Agriculture in this country should always be successful.
No wonder we hail the recent assurance by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Cde Davis Marapira.
He promised acceleration of the infrastructure development scheme aimed at putting in place at least 200 hectares in every district under irrigation annually.
This entails the development, and in some cases, the rehabilitation of damaged or outdated irrigation infrastructure.
President Mnangagwa himself is confident of an eventually thriving irrigation programme as the country has already been helped with irrigation technology from Spain, Brazil and Belarus.
The Ministry must then be seen to be doubling its efforts to harvest water with the intention of building bigger water resources.
Ambitious projects, like the long-mooted Zambezi water pipeline, should no longer be left simply for analysis on the drawing board.
Imagine perennially drought-prone areas like Matabeleland, parts of Masvingo and the Midlands having a thriving agricultural produce as a result of water from the Zambezi.
Of course, such giant projects would need to be sold to investors, with a possibility of turning them into joint ventures with the Government.
The recent World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos was an ideal platform.
With functional irrigation centres along the Zambezi pipeline, several districts would be assured of food security.
With water throughout the whole year, there is an assurance that the land will continuously be productive, irrespective of season.
This will encourage households to venture into horticulture, thereby benefitting from the resultant income likely to be generated.
It is incumbent on the responsible Ministry to see to it that beneficiaries of these irrigation schemes are monitored.
Profitable utilisation of this land must be guaranteed.
With efficient use of reliable irrigation schemes, no matter how rapidly our population grows, there will never be any need to waste vital foreign currency importing food.
With our industries running, mostly on local agricultural produce, we can expect prices of goods to be much more user-friendly.
An all-out effort to avail irrigation schemes countrywide is the way to go.
This is especially so with the now familiar unpredictable weather patterns.