ROWE Farming Limited, a Zambian registered company, has set aside US$250,000 to set up a pump house to grow agricultural crops throughout the year using irrigation systems to meet the increasing demand for wheat, soya beans and maize.
The project will be implemented in Luombwa farm block in Serenje and about 100 jobs are expected to be created for the locals.
Currently, the developer has no intentions of creating a dam but there will be direct abstraction of 10,000 cubic metres per hour of water from the Luombwa River using a motor.
This is contained in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report by the firm submitted to the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA).
The EIA says the developer who intends to establish an irrigation system at the farm to irrigate about 150 hectares of land, has been prompted to build a pump station.
“Rowe Farming Limited will grow crops on about 150 hectares of land through rain fed and irrigation farming split into 50 hectares of wheat, 50 hectors of soya beans and 50 hectares of maize at an investment cost of US$250,000,” the report reads.
The objectives of the project is to increase productivity by using a combination of farming techniques that improve soil quality such as conservation tillage and crop rotation and ensure water sustainability on the farm all year round.
Other objectives are to achieve economies of scale through increasing crop productivity, improve exports of food cross-border within Africa and provide skills transfer at the local level by offering a source of training within communities through outreach programmes among others.
Some of the components of the project include installation of four pumps, four sprinklers and four centre pivots for irrigation.
