Anesushe Mamhute

The next sugarcane harvest in the Mkwasine estates will most likely be poor due to low water inflows into Manjirenji Dam, the water body which supplies irrigation water.

Although some rains have been received this month, the lowveld is generally yet to receive its share of the significant downpours that have been received in other parts of Masvingo province over the past three weeks.

Sugarcane farming is a 12-month process that relies on various inputs, with water being the most critical component.

Walter Mawere, a farmer sugarcane farmer in Chipimbi area of Mkwasine estates, indicated that he had already given up hope on a good harvest this time around.

“Sugarcane requires 25 to 36 cycles of irrigation per year to ensure a good harvest. Shortage of water costs us on growth yield, reduced sugar content and increased susceptibility to pests and diseases among other effects,” said Mawere.

He said Manjirenji Dam, which is sited along Chiredzi river, was struggling to serve all the farmers in face of a rainy season which began late and has so far been erratic.

Mukwasine is largely run by smallholder farmers who benefitted from the Land Reform Programme but they require alternative sources of water as the nearly 60-year-old Manjirenji Dam struggles to cope.

In face of the water shortage which have seen much of the cane showing signs of severe stress, Zimbabwe Sugarcane Development Association (ZSDA) secretary general Gabriel Tondhlana Mukwe called for government intervention.

“Government needs to intervene with both a short-term plan to address pressing needs, and a long-term strategy to ensure sustainability. This should include rehabilitating the main reservoir and constructing a new one to guarantee a stable water supply,” said Mukwe.

ZSDA also wrote to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development requesting cloud seeding in the region.

Commissioned in 1966, Manjirenji Dam, is the main water supply source for Mukwasine estates in eastern Chiredzi but its outlet pipes and valves are in dire need of repair.