The bill for the dam is being met by the country’s sole ethanol producer, Green Fuel.
Some of the money will be channelled into irrigation schemes and hydropower.
Kondo dam will be the biggest inland dam in Manicaland, beefing up water supplies for the Chisumbanje commercial and communal irrigation schemes run by Green Fuel.
Green Fuel general manager Graeme Smith said the work was expected to kick off in 2015. They were currently working out details for the feasibility of the project.
“I can safely say that, in two years’ time, the project will be taking off,” he said.
Green Fuel public relations officer officer Lilian Muungani also revealed that the investment would “create thousands of jobs in further downstream industries”.
The bio-fuel firm has a robust cane irrigation scheme. It also has 18 irrigation schemes in Middle Sabi, covering 2,861 hectares and more than 2,500 households affected by their operations.
The fuel company is set to increase its cane plantations, hence the need for better irrigation in this low rainfall area.
Muungani said that when Green Fuel started operations at the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) estate, there was only one working dam. She said they built nine other dams to supply their cane plantations and small-scale farming for the affected villagers.
Post published in: News