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ARDA gets motorbikes

by Panashe Marasha
07 Jul 2021 at 15:37hrs | Views
Government continues with its drive to capacitate the Agriculture Rural Development Authority (ARDA), after it handed over a first batch of motorcycles to them in a bid to revive at least 450 small scale irrigation schemes country wide.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, Dr John Bhasera yesterday handed over 42 motorbikes to ARDA adding that, the irrigation schemes must be viable, profitable and productive.

 For the country to ensure that there is need for a management model were ARDA is consistence with its rural development mandate is involved.

"As a ministry we are in the process of transforming ARDA so that it drives vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy forward especially in consistence with their co-mandate of the agriculture rural development".

ARDA chief executive officer Mr Tinotenda Mhiko said rural irrigation schemes will be transformed into viable business entities. "These motorbikes will go a long way in capacitating our scheme business managers to ensure that they deliver their mandate and we are expecting to replicate this through the 450 irrigation schemes in the country that are currently seating on 26 000 hectares of land".

Under the accelerated irrigation recovery plan, the Government is targeting to set up 200 hectares of small holder irrigation schemes in each district with a view to empower rural communities to contribute to the country's growth domestic product in line with the devolution agenda.



Source - Panashe Marasha