By Isaac Salima:
Commencement of the long-awaited irrigation project under the Shire Valley Transformation Programme (SVTP) in Chikwawa District has been set for October this year, using a temporary main water intake.
Minister of Agriculture Roza Mbilizi disclosed this after touring construction works at the project site on Saturday.
Construction of the temporary main water intake and conveyance system at Kapichila Dam, which will supply water to canals for irrigation, is still underway.
Mbilizi attributed the delay to the reconstruction of the original main water intake, which was destroyed by Cyclone Freddy-induced rains in 2023.
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“The whole structure was washed away and we had to start over. Government’s wish is to have the project completed as early as possible and that is why we had to put in place a temporary structure, which is also expensive. However, we proceeded because our aim is to have the project ready as soon as possible,” she said.
Mbilizi said the project is expected to benefit farmers organised into cooperatives and said she was impressed with how they had been trained.
“You could see how they were explaining things such as accounting and farm management and I encouraged them to understand the concepts so they should produce crops not only for food but also for commercial purposes,” she said.
SVTP Project Coordinator Limbani Gomani said construction of the permanent water intake is expected to be completed by 2031, but the team has opted to use the temporary system in the meantime.
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“It felt important for the government to provide an immediate solution. As a means to start supplying water into the canals, the project has also planned to develop farm works for the cooperatives that will receive water,” Gomani said.
Two farmer clubs, Kambadwe and Mwanaalirenji Farm Cooperatives, are expected to be the first beneficiaries of the project.
Kambadwe Cooperative has 105 hectares while Mwanaalirenji has 664 hectares.
Deadlines for the start of the government’s flagship programme, launched in 2018, have previously been revised several times due to various challenges, including forex scarcity.
The project, supported by the World Bank, will see farmers under cooperatives drawing water from canals to irrigate their crops.
