In Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge district, maximum temperatures in summer are frequently hitting 42 degrees Celsius. This might be hard on humans, but it is ideal for citrus, provided there is water for irrigation. These conditions have seen citrus farming shifting from the northern region around Mazowe to the southern region, around Beitbridge.
For the past two decades, citrus production around Beitbridge had been a preserve for commercial farmers, but now ordinary villagers in corporations are seeing the benefits as well. At Shashe irrigation scheme, 120km south-west of the border town, 189 communal farmers are reaping the fruits of citrus farming that began in 2011. The irrigation-driven citrus project is now producing an average of 700 tons of oranges per season to supply the Schweppes Holdings-run Beitbridge Juice Plant.
Source: allafrica.com