Edwin Moyo
Lower Gweru-The Insukamini Irrigation Scheme has embarked on pea farming, marking a major milestone in achieving food security for the 126 farmers.
The scheme is currently run by 126 farmers, 79 females and 47 males, who are also driving production in horticulture.
The pea farming is expected to promote sustainable agriculture and open up international market opportunities in Europe.
Speaking during a tour of the irrigation scheme in Lower Gwelo, the Scheme’s chairperson, Mollin Majazi, said they started pea farming in 2024.
“We managed to grow export peas, and it has been paying off a lot. Per week, I have been personally getting about 70 kgs. When selling them, we are being paid $1.50 per kg, so if you calculate it, you’ll see how much I get per week,” Majazi said.
Majazi expressed her gratitude to the government and the ……..OFIT program for building a packing shed for all perishable goods, which has been of significant help for the farmers.
“For the past years, we would produce tomatoes, cabbages, and they would end up perishing because we had nowhere to put them before selling. Now, we do not incur any losses because our packing shed is user-friendly for all perishables,” she added.
Insukamini Irrigation extension officer, Anymore Hardwick, said market flooding had also pushed farmers to try production for export.
“One of the main reasons our farmers fell in love with pea farming was because of market flooding, and we now had cold rooms, and we wanted to utilize them as well as practicing good agricultural practices,” Hardwick said.
The Insukamini Irrigation Scheme was established in 1988 under the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) Fund.
