Consistent electricity supply for winter wheat deal struck: Zesa

Zesa Holdings, has entered into a deal with farmers for a consistent supply of electricity during the coming winter wheat season.
The farmers will require at least 66 megawatts (MW) of electricity with an estimated total of 44,611 hectares expected to be put under winter wheat.
Zimbabwe Electricity and Transmission Distribution Company (ZETDC) Acting General Manager Julian Chinembiri said the power utility held a series of meetings with farmers unions on the subject.
"The farmers need at least three days a week of power supply to be able to irrigate," he said.
Wheat farmers have in past seasons blamed A lack of consistent power supplies for negatively impacting on winter wheat farming.
Zimbabwe is facing a perennial power shortage with demand at 2,100 MW far surpassing supply, which stands between 1,300 and 1,400 MW.
As part of the deal, the power utility will get payments for the power supply after the crop has been sold. "We have come up with a strategy to have stop orders with them (farmers) so that they pay after harvest," Chinembiri said. "We are signing agreements with most of the farmers."
A major bone of contention between the farmers and the power utility however remains as the former still owe the power utility from previous winter seasons.
The ZETDC boss said arrangements were still to be made on how the farmers' debt would be settled. ZETDC is a subsidiary of ZESA.