Development of the 30,000-hectare greenbelt at Nuanetsi Ranch in Mwenezi is gaining momentum, with private investors already committing US$20 million toward land clearing and sugarcane cultivation. This initiative is a cornerstone of Masvingo Province’s strategy to leverage its status as Zimbabwe’s irrigation hub.
Masvingo holds 54% of Zimbabwe’s dammed water. The Lowveld Integrated Irrigation Development Master Plan seeks to maximize the potential of several major reservoirs, like Tugwi-Mukosi, Mutirikwi, and Manyuchi.
Furthermore, plans for the Runde-Tende Dam are at an advanced stage. Once completed at the confluence of the Runde and Tende rivers, it will surpass Tugwi-Mukosi to become Zimbabwe’s largest interior reservoir.
The project falls under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), which aims to establish a massive 80,000-hectare green corridor across the Lowveld. This corridor is designed to transform the region into a national center for agro-processing, focusing on, Ethanol and Sugar production, Citrus juice processing, Stock feed manufacturing and Lucerne production. These industries will leverage on Zimbabwe’s burgeoning trade relationship with China and other countries where demand for citrus is rapidly growing and would provide a ready and lucrative market for the country’s produce.
Government has conceived the Lowveld Integrated Irrigation Development Master Plan that envisages the birth of this huge greenbelt that will spur development of a conurbation stretching from Rutenga to the west right up to Chisumbanje along the Save River in the east.
To date, over 3,000 hectares have been cleared at Nuanetsi Ranch. This progress is driven by a group of private investors who recently entered into 25-year lease agreements with the Development Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ). The private investors are Lamcent Agriculture, Byword Enterprises, Lyonais Investments, Green Corridors, Mossfield Farms, Zimbrands and Honzero Agro Projects.
Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Ezra Chadzamira, highlighted that the province’s GDP growth is now firmly anchored in irrigation-led agriculture.
“We have investors who have already sunk more than US$20 million into land clearing and infrastructure. This greenbelt will have a transformative bearing on the provincial economy, stretching from Rutenga in the west to Chisumbanje in the east,” Minister Chadzamira stated.
Investors, including Lyonais Investments director Mr. Lawrence Mahakwa, credited the “Second Republic” for creating a conducive business environment that empowers indigenous entrepreneurs and attracts the capital necessary for large-scale infrastructure projects.