The winter maize project in Triangle is this year expected to yield nearly 1 500 tonnes.
The harvest is expected to ease food shortages across Masvingo following a poor summer cropping season last year.
Harvesting of maize under the project, a partnership between Lowveld sugar producer
The Government has since hailed
Acting Masvingo provincial Agritex officer Mr Aaron Muchazivepi yesterday said the initiative was part of the sugar manufacturing company's corporate social responsibility to the community.
He said the programme, which has created a lot of job opportunities, deserved to be expanded to cover other crops like soya beans, sugar beans and wheat.
"As a province, we must always try to adapt to climate change, which continues to affect us on a daily basis," he said.
"We want research to be done to see whether it is feasible to grow soya beans and wheat here in the Lowveld. Companies like
"This philanthropic gesture should be commended since it is going to help
"This winter maize project started long back after the 1992 drought, and Government had to engage
He said several agricultural research stations in the Lowveld were supposed to up their game and identify crops which can be grown in the arid area to boost Masvingo's food security through irrigation.
"We are satisfied that Tongat Hullet has the potential and capacity to make a genuine contribution in irrigation farming that can sustain the province, and we are calling those with irrigation facilities to up their game and utilise fully the available natural resource to enhance food security," he said.
He said Masvingo was home to many underutilised dams that could be exploited to produce food and cash crops under irrigation in the Lowveld. Mr Muchazivepi said recurrent food shortages should be a thing of the past in the province, which has the highest dam density in the country.
Copyright The Herald. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)., source