Africa-Press – Eswatini. The upcoming Mkhondvo-Ngwavuma Water Augmentation Project (MNWAP) is expected to see the production of cotton and beans in the country being prioritised and increased.
In an interview, Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (ESWADE) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Samson Sithole said the above crops had been identified to be given a priority for a full crop value chain. He said these two crops would be allocated 10 000 hectares of the total 30 000 hectares to be covered by the entire MNWAP. He said the value chain of these crops would be carried out within the country’s boundaries from production, processing up to the final product. He said as such, cotton would be the main crop rotated with beans.
Revealed
The CEO said for cotton production, they had already identified the entire value chain. He revealed that to that effect, they had identified FTM Garments in Nhlangano as a textile factory partner, that would procure the wool to be produced through the cotton and thereafter produce clothes that would be sold in and outside the country. He said another partner identified was Da Gama Cotton, which is an international company dealing in cotton production. He said these two companies were the ones that would make sure that the cotton was produced and processed in the country to the point that the final products went straight to the shops. He said the most important objective was to industrialise the crops other than just producing the crop and sell it as it was, but they wanted the crop to be processed to the fullest. “The value chain there is too narrow,” said the CEO. He said the aim, for instance, for the beans, would be to grow and process them to produce any based products like the baked beans and others.
Produced
He said on the bean production, they were still yet to identify a partner that would take the produced beans and process it to make the desired final products. Sithole, on another note, said the agro-processing zone had been identified, which would be linked to the E3.6 billion green eco-city to be built in the Shiselweni Region. He said the zones for the two projects had also been identified as well and they were both funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB). Sithole said they were now in the processes of getting an architectural consultant to design the agro-processing zone and the eco-city. “Again, we got a grant funding from the AfDB for that as well.” He said thereafter, they would open up for all those who had ideas of conducting agro-processing in all the crops that would be produced through the MNWAP. The upcoming Mkhondvo-Ngwavuma project is designed to benefit 100 000 emaSwati, covering a total area of 30 000 hectares. In addition, about 10 000 job opportunities will be created and local people will be targeted to benefit. The project targets seven chiefdoms in the Shiselweni Region.
Construction
The purpose of the MNWAP is to bring water to the Shiselweni Region through the construction of the Mpakeni Dam and water transfer from the Mkhondvo River. It is worth noting that the project of late made a significant headway, which was the sod-cutting by His Majesty King Mswati III last month. The King cut the sod for the construction of the Mpakeni Dam, which is one of the components of the MNWAP.
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