Villagers and traditional leaders in Chilonga communal lands in northern Chikombedzi have expressed confidence that the planned US$60 million lucerne grass scheme in their area will transform their lives and usher in a new epoch of rural industrialisation and in the process create jobs and new economic opportunities in the rural heartland that has largely remained underdeveloped since independence in 1980.
The lucerne scheme will see forage grown under irrigation as a major cash crop on an area straddling over 6 000 hectares and covering a belt of land that includes areas such as Mutomani and Chibwedziva in Chilonga communal lands.
The lucerne will be processed into cattle feed, creating further jobs, and there are even possibilities of exporting surpluses.
Kwekwe-based milk processor Dendairy Company is spearheading the project that will be developed using water from Tugwi-Mukosi Dam that will be conveyed to the area via Runde River that flows through Chilonga.
It is hoped that the scheme will engender industrialisation in rural Chilonga where a railway line, processing factory for the legume and other modern facilities will be built under the project that will see villagers in the area benefiting as out-growers of the irrigated cattle-feed grass with assistance from Dendairy.
The project dovetails with the Second Republic's mantra of leaving no one and no place behind as President Mnangagwa's Government pulls all the stops to make sure the whole country pivots towards Vision 2030 which seeks to make Zimbabwe an upper middle income society by 2030.
Initially there were fears that the lucerne scheme will precipitate relocation of Chilonga families settled on land earmarked for the project from their ancestral land but Government through the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Ezra Chadzamira, has given assurances that no relocation to another area will be done.
A few families will have to be moved within the area, in some cases only a few hundred metres, to allow infrastructural development to take effect.
Villagers from Chilonga who spoke to The Herald said they were optimistic that the project will transform their area and unlock new opportunities particularly in the sphere of employment.
Mr Dhaudha Sikochi of Saveni village in the area said he was looking forward to the lucerne scheme which he equated to an antidote that will eradicate unemployment in the area.
"We hope that the grass project will create jobs for us here because this area is underdeveloped and most young people risk their lives and limb crossing the crocodile-infested Limpopo River to jump the border into South Africa in search of employment, a scenario that we hope will be addressed by the lucerne grass project as many people here will be equipped to grow the grass under irrigation and earn income year in year out," he said.
Ms Tsitsi Mungezi of Section 3, Gutsaruzhinji in Chilonga, also weighed in supporting the lucerne scheme that she said will insulate local communities from the effects of recurrent droughts.
"We are happy that President Mnangagwa's Government intends to implement the lucerne grass project here because it means we get assistance to fully utilise the irrigation potential of this area. Lucerne grass will be grown under irrigation and this means our challenges with irrigation facilities at Chilonga irrigation scheme will be a thing of the past.
"This area has good soils which can sustain good crops if there is water for irrigation and we will have no problem growing lucerne commercially and sell the crop to earn income for sustaining our families and buying food."
According to Ms Tafadzwa Mumanyi of Mumanyi village in Chilonga, the scheme in their area will usher in a new economic era for their area.
"Besides the direct jobs that will be created at the processing factories that will be built here, we also feel that this project will also attract investment in our area that is largely underdeveloped and has not witnessed any meaningful investment in years.
"We hope that even banks and other companies will also set up shop here resulting in the development of a modern business centre here at Chilonga that has facilities such as service stations and big supermarkets that are currently found in Chiredzi town, about 60km away," said Ms Mumanyi.
Mr Steven Chauke of Chilonga said while the scheme was welcome, there was need for Government and the investor to keep lines of communication open with the local community who he suggested need to be apprised on the benefits of growing lucerne.
"There must be open lines of communication so that people here understand that they are not going to lose their ancestral land but will get requisite support to grow lucerne under irrigation which will be ready for harvest within three months.
"The benefits of growing the grass should be fully explained so that people understand and there must also be an option to shift to production of other crops like those traditionally grown here like sorghum and millet in the event that lucerne is not financially very rewarding."
Village head Mr Berejena Bere of Chilonga also threw his weight behind the lucerne project saying it would surely change lives for the better in his area.
"We have problems with the existing Chilonga irrigation scheme that has not been operating at full throttle and we would welcome an investor who comes here to support our people to grow lucerne under irrigation, we have no problem with that because the project will not only create jobs but also empower our people who will be producing the lucerne.
"Our only problem will come if there are plans to relocate us from here to pave way for the project, we need to benefit from lucerne production as out-growers because we have the land," said Mr Bere.
This was corroborated by proportional representation councillor for wards 6, 7 and 9, Councillor Feli Mashingaidze who backed the lucerne grass project which she said will change the face of Chilonga.
"We are 100 percent behind the lucerne grass project that is earmarked for this area because economically this place is dormant, this project will create jobs and cushion communities here from the ravages of climate change which has made growing of traditional grains such as millet and sorghum difficult because of erratic rainfall. If we grow lucerne under irrigation we will earn income that we will use to buy food and look after our families," she said.
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Councillor Mashingaidze added that even the long-awaited all weather Chilonga bridge across Runde River that links Chikombedzi and Chiredzi Town will be quickly built if the lucerne scheme came to Chilonga.
"At the moment it is even hard to lobby authorities (Government) to build an all-weather bridge across Runde River because there are no economic activities that warrant Government to invest billions into building a bridge to link Chilonga and Chiredzi, how will Government recoup that huge investment?
"If we have a multi-million dollar lucerne project here it will force Government and the investor to improve infrastructure for the sake of accessibility," she said.
Minister Chadzamira said it was regrettable that some political actors had deliberately politicised the lucerne project without looking at its benefits to the people of Chilonga.
"The project is at the consultative stage and we are satisfied with the work we are doing, we are working flat out to debunk some misconceptions that were created by some political actors who wanted to blemish the lucerne grass project.
"I can safely say the project will bring immense benefits to the Chilonga people and they must embrace it because as Government under the Second Republic our commitment implementing projects that benefit the generality of our people is unquestionable.
"The grass project will pave way for the speedy construction of an all weather bridge across Runde River at Chilonga which is a vital link between Chiredzi Town and the Chikombedzi community," said Minister Chadzamira.
