Blessing Nduku
In a groundbreaking initiative, the Insukamini Irrigation Scheme has harvested a crop of peas marking a major milestone in its innovative farming venture despite the impact of elnino-induced effects.
The pea farming project was launched this season to promote sustainable agriculture and the irrigation scheme farmers have exceeded new market opportunities overseas.
Speaking to this reporter on an official tour visit the Scheme’s Chairperson Molin Majazi said that they started pea farming this year and it has been paying them well.
“In collaboration with Takura, we managed to farm export peas as we call them, and it has been paying a lot. Per week I have been getting about 70 kgs. When selling them we are being paid one dollar fifty per kg so if you calculate it, you will see how much I get per week.”
“This pea farming is going to change our lives, let’s say we farm them, or in the coming three years, we will end up buying ourselves cars as well as taking care of our families.”
Majazi expressed her gratitude towards the government of Zimbabwe as well as the OFIT program for building a pack shade for all perishable goods for it has been tough for them for the past years.
“I would like to thank the government of Zimbabwe through His Excellency Cde Emmerson
Mnangagwa as well as the OFIT program for building a pack shade for us. They helped us a lot because, for the past years, we would farm tomatoes, cabbages and they would end up perishing. After all, we had nowhere to put them after getting them before selling them. Now we do not have any losses because our pack shade is user-friendly for all perishables.”
The pea farming venture was identified as a key area of focus by Insukamini Irrigation Scheme given the suitable climate and soil conditions and with the support of TAKURA the scheme farmers were able to access the necessary resources and expertise to cultivate high-quality peas.
Extension Officer of Insukamini Irrigation Scheme Anymore Hard Work said that it is their first time they are doing pea farming and it has been interesting.
“So far pea farming has been interesting for us, it is indeed our first year farming export peas. We have 1, 75 hectares for export peas with two varieties namely the sugar snap and the matched out.”
“One of the main reason our farmers liked pea farming was because of market flooding and that we now had cold rooms and we wanted to utilize them as well as practice food agricultural practicing.”
The Insukamini IRRIGATION Scheme was established in 1988 under the Food Agriculture
Organization (FAO) Fund.
The government in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) intervened to save the irrigation project from total collapse.
It has 126 farmers, 79 of them being females and 47 being males. They are not only farming peas but also cabbages, onions, maize as well as wheat.
