The Zimbabwe Sugar Association Experiment Station: Major agronomy research thrusts for the period 1966-2000

Abstract

The sugar industry is situated mainly in the south eastern part of Zimbabwe, (21oS, 28oE), at an altitude of between 400 and 500 metres above sea level (lowveld). The south eastern lowveld is semi-arid and therefore unsuitable for rainfed commercial sugarcane production. A secure supply of water is essential for crops to flourish and the sugar industry is very dependent on stored water. Irrigation development in the lowveld began in 1923 (Saunders, 1989) when Thomas Murray MacDougall constructed the Jatala Weir on the Mutirikwi river. The first stick of sugarcane brought in from South Africa was planted in 1934. MacDougall purchased, transported and erected a mill from South Africa and in 1938 produced his first ten tons of raw sugar for refinery in Bulawayo.




The Zimbabwe Science News Volume 33(4) October- December 1999, 107-108