Gwenoro Farm
Gwenoro farm is 592 ha and is located in Shurugwi near Gwenoro dam. It was formerly owned by the late Rhodesian prime minister Mr. Ian Douglas Smith. The farm has good sweet pastures and horticultural land that makes it suitable for both crop production and animal husbandry. The farm is into poultry production comprising of layers (6 000 capacity) and broilers (25 000 capacity), citrus production (28 ha), greenhouse horticulture (0.4 ha) open field horticulture (3 ha) comprising of potatoes, cabbages, tomatoes, rape, covo, tsunga, lettuce and onions.
Pitscottie Farm
Pitscottie farm is located between Sebakwe river and Munyati river, about 120km from Gweru in Kwekwe district. It is 4200 ha in size and its land use suitability favours beef cattle production and crop production. Pitscottie Farm occupies 452 beef cattle and has a carrying capacity of up to 1000, the farm also has a layers project comprising of 4000 layers.
Products Offered
The farm practises mixed farming and specialises mainly in citrus, poultry, beef, dairy and horticulture.
Poultry
The farm has broiler and layers project running. The broilers section has an infrastructural capacity to keep 25000 birds while the layers section can keep up to 10 000 hens. Broiler chickens are produced at a capacity of 30 000 in races of 5000 batches. Chickens are available all year round and are sold live or dressed.
Citrus
Variety | Hectares (Ha) | Tree population |
Palmer navel | 12 | 8138 |
Bahianina navel | 5 | 2018 |
Delta Valencia | 9 | 4541 |
Easy peelers | 2 | 348 |
The farm has 28ha under citrus production. The varieties grown are as follows;
Oranges cover 28 hectares and on average the farm produces 850 tonnes of naval and delta varieties of orang- es. There are two orange seasons per year, the first being March-May and August-November yearly. Gwenoro North Farm has a pack shade that was constructed by the Midlands State University in 2015. It is equipped with an orange pack line for washing, waxing and grading of oranges to enhance a long shelf life and to meet the standards of the export market.
Horticulture produce
The farm is into open field and greenhouse horticultural production. It majors in the production of cabbages, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, leafy vegetables such as rape, covo, tsunga and spinach, onions, sugar beans, soya beans, potatoes and other salad vegetables. Most of its products on this enterprise are sold to the Midlands State University canteens and the open market. However, plans of this enterprise target to export its products.
Beef
The farm has a capacity to supply 2000kgs of beef per week and production can increase to match demand. Gwenoro North Farm has a feedlot that can accommodate 60 cattle at a time. The facility is used to pen fatten cattle before slaughter that is sold to the university catering services. Its larger herd has been transferred to Pitscottie Farm in Kwekwe where there are huge grazing facilities.
Contact Us
Mr Giniyo T
Assistant Farms Coordinator- Gwenoro Farm
Phone 0777086576
Email giniyot@staff.msu.ac.zw
Mr Kaombe S B
Assistant Farms Coordinator- Pitscottie Farm
Phone 0772 837704
Email kaombes@staff.msu.ac.zw