The ManicaPost
Cletus Mushanawani
News Editor
THE Government-sponsored refurbishment of roads in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts have proved to be major economic enablers, with the projects bringing great joy to thousands of farmers who are fast recovering from the scars of the devastating March 2019 Cyclone Idai.
The build back better model adopted by Government following Cyclone Idai has seen a changed landscape in Chimanimani, with the roads now being a marvel and a joy to travel on.
For the locals who produce bananas, pineapples, naartjies, avocado pears, oranges, macadamia nuts and sweet potatoes, life has changed for the better as the nightmares of taking their produce to the market are now a thing of the past.
The toast of the refurbished road network is the 23km Jopa-Kopa Road which was commissioned by President Mnangagwa last year in November.
Besides improving the transportation of produce to the market, the new road has brought great relief to villagers who were forking out US$5 as transport fares to Chipinge town as very few transporters were plying the route.
The fares have now gone down to US$1 as ZUPCO buses criss-cross the route with ease.
Commissioning the Jopa-Kopa Road, President Mnangagwa expressed his joy.
“I am happy to be here commissioning the Jopa-Kopa Road which had taken decades for it to be tarred. After Cyclone Idai ravaged this area and the issue of this road was brought to my attention, I did not hesitate to give a nod to its refurbishment.
“This is a very important road to the people of Chimanimani and Chipinge, especially farmers, as they can now easily take their produce to the market. They can now have easy access to medical facilities.
“This road is just a marvel and the volume of traffic plying this road has significantly improved, bringing relief to the locals who over the years were subjected to exorbitant fares by motorists,” he said.
Secretary for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mr Edgars Seenza said the new roads in Chimanimani and Chipinge are what the doctor rightly prescribed for the community.
“Every time you visit Chimanimani and Chipinge, you are greeted with gaiety by the locals as they cannot hide their joy following the refurbishment of the roads. Farmers are relieved and they are hailing Government for coming to their rescue,” said Mr Seenza.
“Transport costs have significantly been reduced and the community is now guaranteed of safe and reliable transport. The cost of doing business for local business people has therefore improved, which will trickle down to the consumer,” he said.
More exciting projects are also lined up for farmers in Chimanimani and Chipinge as Government is working on modalities to establish a fruit processing plant in Chimanimani as part of its efforts to industrialise rural areas.
The development was confirmed by the chairman of Rusitu Fruit Growers and Marketing Trust, Mr Dudzai Ndiyadzo.
Mr Ndiyadzo, who is among the 45 small-holder pineapple farmers who are operating under the Rusitu Valley Fruit Growers and Marketing Trust (RVFGMT), is basking in the glory of their pineapples’ organic certification by EcoCert.
The pineapple farmers will soon be smiling all the way to the bank as their eyes are now set on the lucrative European markets.
The EcoCert Organic Standard is an independent French body for organic inspection and certification, which performs quality control by ensuring that all product specifications and production procedures are strictly adhered to.
The attainment of the organic certification is a critical milestone for the Rusitu farmers as it allows them to access the lucrative organic fruit market, especially in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany and the United Arab Emirates, among others.
With the certification, pineapple farmers will unlock access to the global
pineapple market, which grew from US$2,25 billion in 2011 to US$2, 6 billion in 2019.
“Everything is pointing in the right direction. We have every reason to celebrate. The Jopa-Kopa Road which links us to the markets in Chipinge, Mutare, Harare and Bulawayo had been a thorn in our flesh for years as it was always inaccessible during the rainy season,” said Mr Ndiadzo.
“Its refurbishment brought so much relief to us as our produce can now easily be transported to the markets. We no longer have to watch as our produce rots by the roadside.
“The transport network has vastly improved and costs have been reduced as transporters no longer have any excuses for charging us exorbitant fares to transport our produce.
“Since we will be exporting our produce to the European market, this perfect road network will not compromise the quality of our pineapples as they will not be damaged along the way. We want to thank Government for this, lives are changing for the better for us,” said Mr Ndiadzo who is also the area’s headman.
He added: “Besides the business boom brought about by the new road, we recently hosted officers from Agritex who were carrying out studies to establish a fruit processing plant here. We produce bananas, pineapples, naartjies, avocado pears, oranges, macadamia nuts and sweet potatoes, so the opening of a processing plant will add value to our crops.
“More money will be realised by the farmers here when they sell value added produce, while employment will be created. Our area will also develop in line with Government’s vision of industrialising rural areas.
“We need cold rooms and packaging sheds for our produce. We also need a drying plant so that produce like bananas and sweet potatoes are dried and processed into various products,” he said.
To guarantee even more income to the farmers, the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) in collaboration with the Macadamia Association of Zimbabwe is training farmers in the production of macadamia nuts.
A total of 190 farmers drawn from Clearwater (30), Mabheka (20), Paidamoyo (40), Rusitu (50) and Mt Selinda (50) have so far been trained.
AMA’s Manicaland provincial inspector, Ms Rose Ruzario, said they are advocating for quality production of the highly rewarding nuts.
“We are training farmers so that the country produces high quality macadamia nuts that will compete favourably on the international market. Farmers are getting technical expertise on general management of the nuts, pest and disease control, sustainability, harvesting and post harvesting handling and export,” said Ms Ruzario.
