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Harare — GOVERNMENT has begun an assessment programme to determine compensation due to villagers who will be affected by the Middle Sabi and Chisumbanje Ethanol project.
The ethanol project is a joint project between the Government, through the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority and Macdom and Rating Investments and will cover at least 40 000 hectares.
The project under the Greater Chisumbanje area has however, courted controversy amid fears by villagers that they would be relocated from their homes.
However, Arda Middle Sabi and Chisumbanje assistant general manager Mr Raphael Zuze last Friday told the Chisumbanje Sugarcane Development Implementation Committee meeting that the project would not displace villagers, but integrate them.
The implementation committee is made up of representatives from Arda, Agritex, Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development and Chief Tobias Garahwa’s representatives, including headmen and village heads.
"The initial stage of the assessment programme is targeting villagers who moved into Arda land during the fast-track land reform programme and then villagers to be affected by the irrigation expansion programme.
Villagers are not going to be relocated to other areas, but would be accommodated within certain
areas reserved in the estates for crop production under irrigation.
"We are trying to push for a win-win situation between the villagers and the project in areas like DRC, where we have already assessed, villagers are allowed to harvest their crops before we move in," Mr Zuze said.
Chisumbanje and Middle Sabi receive low rainfall for crops such as maize, but the project earmarks to start irrigation projects on various pieces of land set aside for the villagers.
Speaking at the implementation committee meeting, Headman Marega said, while the traditional leadership welcomed the project, people were afraid of the consequences.
"The people would want to know what they are going to benefit from the project. We are, however, glad that Government is engaging the leadership for the locals to be accommodated in the project."
On the project, he said : "The project is welcome. There is no one who is against investment of any kind and we want the project to go ahead to create jobs in the area."
Under the programme, each headman would provide a list of beneficiaries.
According to Arda, an intensive social responsibility programme is in place and has seen the resuscitation of irrigation schemes in Mutema, Taona and Chibuwe with the repair of water pumps and rehabilitation of water canals.
Arda has also secured 30 tonnes of red sorghum to be donated to the community and ensure food security in the area.
Meanwhile, equipment purchased for the Chisumbanje ethanol plant from Brazil has started arriving at the site.
Arda Chisumbanje and Middle Sabi general manager Mr Graeme Smith said about 30 percent of the equipment was already at the plant.
"The plant was purchased in Brazil and some experts from that country would be joining us to assist in installing the plant," he said.
The construction of the ethanol plant, which would include milling, electricity generation, fermentation, distillation of ethanol and dehydration, is expected to take shape by end of June.
The Chisumbanje ethanol plant, which has been granted a national project status, started in June last year with the rehabilitation of the once idle irrigation schemes at Arda Chisumbanje and Middle Sabi estates.
There has been an ever expanding sugarcane hectarage on both estates with the first phase projecting 17 000 hectares of cane by 2012.
The cane will feed the ethanol factory, which is capable of producing 525 000 litres, nearly 70 percent of Zimbabwe’s fuel requirements and 18,5 megawatts of electricity everyday.