By Johannes Mike Mupisa
To the sceptics and armchair critics who have long dismissed Mwenezi as barren and lifeless for commercial agriculture, recent developments are proving otherwise. This semi-arid district, often overlooked despite boasting vast water bodies such as the great Manyuchi Dam, is now breathing new life into Zimbabwe’s farming landscape.
For years, Manyuchi’s waters largely sustained Mwenezana Estates’ sugarcane fields, but under the Second Republic, efforts by President Mnangagwa have opened the door to fresh investment and renewed economic vibrancy.
Alongside the flourishing Pikinini Jawanda Irrigation Scheme, which covers 156 hectares under centre-pivot irrigation, Mwenezi now in addition hosts Chizumba and Dinhe irrigation projects. The crown jewel, however, is the newly established Makata Citrus Farm — a high-tech project expected to span 500 hectares of citrus production.
What makes Makata unique is its use of cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence for irrigation, pest monitoring, and potentially even export sorting. Once harvesting begins, the project is projected to integrate more than 1,000 farmers under contract farming.
More than 95% of Makata’s workforce is drawn from the local community, making the initiative a direct contributor to household livelihoods while aligning with the national economic blueprints charted by government.
During a recent visit, Mwenezi North MP Master Makope, made the same sentiments shared by the Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Ezra Chadzamira when he visited the farm earlier this year. He expressed optimism that such initiatives make Vision 2030 not only achievable but inevitable.
Mwenezi Government High School head, …. Chuma, who toured the project with MP Makope, pledged to organise field visits for learners. “As a school and beneficiaries of the land programme, we will pluck a leaf from Makata Citrus Farm to inspire our learners,” he said.
District Development Coordinator, Isaac Mutambara, also praised the initiative, describing it as a model of empowerment consistent with Agriculture Minister Dr. Anxious Masuka’s call for community inclusion. In a further boost, Makata management announced plans to support farmers resettled under the land reform programme by establishing 100 hectares of joint-venture citrus production.
With such projects taking root, Mwenezi is shedding its image of aridity and staking its claim as a hub of commercial agriculture. The Makata venture is not just a farm; it is a seed of transformation, a promise of jobs, and a stride toward the government’s vision of an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
