By Fanuel Chinowaita
Mutasa South, 25 January 2026– The Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Hon. Dr. Anxious Jongwe Masuka, has launched the Irrigation Booster Kit Programme in Mutasa South, Enavant, reaffirming government’s commitment to increased agricultural productivity while warning land reform beneficiaries against underutilising allocated land.
Addressing farmers at the launch on Friday, the Minister said Zimbabwe’s land reform programme remains irreversible and stressed that beneficiaries must actively farm their land or risk repossession.
“If you fail to farm, I will come and drive you out and bring someone who wants to farm,” the Minister said.
He reiterated that Zimbabweans would not repurchase land acquired during the land reform programme, but the government had committed to compensating former white commercial farmers for infrastructure developed on the land.
The Minister referred to the Global Compensation Deed signed on 29 July 2020, under which the government agreed to compensate about 4,000 former farmers for improvements made on farms prior to land reform.
“We will not buy land that was taken from our forefathers, but we will pay for the infrastructure that was done on our land,” he said.
According to the Minister, infrastructure on the affected farms is valued at US$3.5 billion, with compensation to be paid in instalments by the government. He emphasised that individual black farmers would not be required to contribute towards the payments.
“No black individual will pay. The government will pay,” he said.
The Minister also highlighted measures taken to improve security of tenure, citing the launch of title deeds for both A1 and A2 farmers by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on 8 October 2024.
On mechanisation, he clarified that government-issued agricultural machinery was not free, with farmers expected to pay over a seven-year period through financing arrangements facilitated by the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC).
“The President will give tractors on 31 March, but they will not be for free. They will be paid over a period of seven years,” he said.
Under the Irrigation Booster Programme, beneficiaries will form an Irrigation Business Company, co-managed by an official from the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA). AFC Bank will provide accounts to enable farmers to receive monthly income from the scheme.
ARDA will also supply seeds and fertilisers, with costs recovered when produce is sold through the Grain Marketing Board (GMB).
Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Misheck Mugadza, who is also the Member of Parliament for Mutasa South, said the programme would transform agriculture in the district through organised irrigation farming and market-focused production.
“We have visited the Lavastock Irrigation Booster Kit at Anavante Section in Mutasa District,” Mugadza said.
“Here, 69 farmers will benefit from the Presidential Productivity Booster Kits Programme, cultivating 381 hectares as an irrigation business unit. The focus is on high-value produce for domestic and export markets, leveraging Mutare’s strategic location and the planned cargo airport to drive Vision 2030,” he added.
The Minister stressed the importance of timely farming operations under irrigation schemes, saying productivity and accountability were central to the programme’s success.
The Irrigation Booster Kit Programme is part of government’s broader strategy to enhance food security, boost exports and ensure land reform beneficiaries contribute meaningfully to national development.