Lilongwe February 25, 2015: The Executive Director for Civil Society Agriculture Network (Cisanet) Tamani Nkhono Mvula says competent irrigation schemes management is crucial in ensuring that irrigation schemes produce at their full potential.
Mvula was commenting on the recent announcement by the Minister of Agriculture Dr Allan Chiyembeka that The European Union (EU) will construct a 42 metre dam at Bwanje in Ntheu to boost the Bwanje irrigation scheme.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Tuesday, Mvula applauded the project as the way to go in dealing with food shortage challenges. However, he has urged the government to sort out management challenges at the scheme which he said are affecting production.
“Bwanje is one of the most fertile areas in the country and if well managed it would have a huge impact in dealing with food shortages, however, the problem is management and currently it is under producing. It is mostly managed by a community which is not competent enough to manage the irrigation scheme.
“The way to go is to come up with a model which would rope in the private sector to partner with the community in managing the scheme which would also help in marketing the produce like Ntalimanja Holdings’ partnership which is partnering with the community in Nkhotakota and has been a success,” said Mvula.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Dr Alllan Chiyembekeza told the media about the project during the K61 million signing ceremony of the Japanese funded irrigation initiative for Blantyre and Chiradzulu at the Japanese embassy in Lilongwe.
Dr Allan Chiyembekeza confirmed to Mana on Tuesday that the construction of the dam would start this year.
“The construction will start this year, but I cannot tell you how much it will cost or the exact date the construction will start because I don’t have such details at the moment.
“It is also your duty as a reporter to find out what impact that will have on food security in the country,” said Chiyembeka.
The construction of the dam compliments eight hundred hectare (800) Bwanje Irrigation Scheme funded by the Japanese Government through Japanese international cooperation Agency (JICA).
The dam will have a total storage of 5.6 million cubic metres of water.
Irrigation is being championed as a remedy to food shortage caused by over reliance on rain fed agriculture which has become erratic due to climate change.
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