SYDNEY MUBAIWA
MASVINGO- Prominent Masvingo business mogul, Philmon Mutangiri has become the envy of many after putting 250 hectares under wheat in a development that has helped the province to record 4 800 hectares of the targeted 5 000 hectares for the strategic crop.
Speaking during a tour at Riverton Farm on Thursday, Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development Minister Dr. Anxious Masuka hailed Mutangiri for championing a robust agricultural revolution.
“We are very happy with what the farmer has done in his efforts to contribute towards the country’s food security. We want to thank him so much for his efforts to eradicate hunger and directly contributing to the growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“As we prepare for the harvest, you are aware that the President His Excellency Dr. E.D Mnangagwa has set up a target of 120 000 hectares under wheat this winter season. We have exceeded the target to 122 566 hectares.
“The volume target is 600 000 metric tonnes and clearly we have seen that we will be able to achieve this target. The wheat we are seeing here assures us that we are on our way in exceeding the 600 000 metric tonnes.
“Here in Masvingo, the initial target was 5000 hectares and 4 800 hectares was achieved.
“Masvingo has 52 percent of dam water in the country and the water is capable of irrigating many irrigation schemes and we want to see that water being converted into irrigation farming. We encourage investors to come on board and transform the country’s agricultural sector as we have witnessed here,” he said.
Minister Masuka applauded Mutangiri’s farming enterprise which he said was a model of optimum land utilisation.
Addressing delegates, Mutangiri credited President Mnangagwa as the inspirational force behind his new- found passion for farming.
“When I came here, this area was a thick bush and I didn’t know that I was sitting on an unlimited wealth by not utilising the land through farming. I didn’t want to venture into farming because I wanted to concentrate on schools,” he said.
He said President Mnangagwa’s farming enterprise at the Pricabe Farm in Kwekwe won him plaudits within and beyond the country’s borders, a development which drove him to venture into farming.
“I was only into cattle ranching to supply meat to our students. However, it was only when I visited the President’s farm in Kwekwe where I was asked to survey underground water.
“What I saw at Pricabe Farm stunned me and I learnt a lot.
“I told myself that I was underutilising this farm and came back with a changed mindset after realising that I was sitting on unlimited wealth.
“I turned swathes of bushes into this greenbelt. This whole area which is now decorated by verdant wheat was a thick bush of thorns and big trees. We managed to clear the land and made these strides to reach where we are standing today.
“This year, we were targeting to put 300 hectares under winter wheat but we failed to meet our target and only planted 250 hectares,” he said.
He said 20 hectares of the crop has been harvested and over 100 tonnes have been recorded.
“We have started harvesting and so far we recorded over 100 tonnes from the 20 hectares harvested portion.
“Our yields are good, and we are expecting about 6 tonnes per hectare or even more than that,” he said.
He thanked President Mnangagwa for uplifting the country’s agricultural sector saying the industry was the beacon of the nation.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank President Mnangagwa for transforming the agricultural sector. Agriculture is the way to go” he said.
He urged government to continue constructing dams and borehole drilling to enhance irrigation farming.
Mutangiri added that the province is well positioned to unleash its agricultural potential and exorcise its perennial records of hunger only if land is fully utilised.
The businessman urged government to fund farmers to unlock their agricultural potential.
He said his vision is to see every farmer harnessing idle water for irrigation farming.
Located about 65km east of Masvingo City and positioned within the borders of Chipinda communal lands in the northern fringes of Zaka district, Riverton has also been hailed for academic excellence.
Mutangiri, a former waiter and teacher was born in 1958 in Murinye communal lands, Masvingo district.
He trained as a teacher at Morgenster Mission and taught at several schools across the province before venturing into the transport industry where he owned a fleet of buses and trucks.
The transport sector enabled him to purchase the farm where he later founded Riverton Group of Schools which started with less than 20 students in 2004.
Currently the school has an enrolment of over 1000 students.
The Riverton Group of Schools franchise is on an expansion drive with Riverton Westview located in Masvingo City and Riverton- Murinye in his rural home.
The farmer who is also into poultry , fish farming and dairy is intending to utilise farm produce to supply food in boarding schools to lessen the burden of fees payment by parents. His vision is to make sure that the school fees become affordable.
