Mvurwi Delight:

Little is known about this town located 93km away from Harare. There are no major cities located to the West of Harare and perhaps this could explain why the area receives scant attention. However the town is in transition to full awakening and in future you are going to refer back to this post!

And on the 13th of October 2024 we had business in the town of 16,000 residents according to the 2022 census:

Here is a snap shot of Mvurwi.

1.Traditional Economy: Farming has traditionally been the anchor of the economy of the town. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Tobacco Auctions were decentralized and this boosted the fortunes of the town which now hosts more than 5 Auction Floors. Instead of transporting tobacco to Harare Auction Floors, Mvurwi has become an option.

Business reaches crescendo levels during the tobacco selling season and takes a dip during the offseason.

2) Chrome City: In addition to Tobacco Auction Floors, Chrome is the new attraction and you don’t need to look too far. The huge number of flatbed trucks along the highway provides endless evidence. The Chinese dominate most of the chrome deals.

3) Construction Boom: Where are the funds from tobacco and chrome going? Arguably real estate with a construction boom and some of it visible as you enter Mvurwi. Look to the right and there you will find a lot of new properties coming up. Some even putting up mansions.

The town is fast expanding…unfortunately most of Mvurwi secrets hidden from the highway that passes through the town. There are 3 large dams and other opportunities such as agro-processing and minerals processing.

Find locals who can show you around the town and you will be amazed by the size and scale of the town.

I expected our tour around the town to last at most 10 minutes, but was surprised when we surpassed 40 minutes.

There is the old ghetto suburb (kumusika), then middle density and low density.

And if you have a long horizon real estate investment vision, grab a piece of land in this fast developing sleepy town.

Yes for now land is affordable, but it’s not for long.

Locals are waiting for a gas and oil exploration boom and they are keeping their ears to the ground. And this could be the economic propeller, the warthog speed economic accelerator.

What were SA registered cars doing in the town?

Chrome, Chrome, Chrome Traders ..so they are travelling all the way from Mzantsi, passing through Harare and heading to Mvurwi? There should be a magnetic field pulling them…and its now an open secret.

We need to cultivate the spirit of taking interest in all areas around us, even making efforts to visit and observe developments on the ground.

Viva Mvurwi Viva.

Madagascar Lima Beans Farming Trials Verdict

It started as a research experiment to see whether the Madagascar Lima Beans can be grown commercially? And our forum had over 200 members signing up receiving 5 bean seeds each for trial farming on a project that ran from January 2024 to August 2024.

So how has been the progress to date?

Our results do show great success from our members dotted around the country. Good harvests recorded especially from those who planted around January and February 2024. An average of 300 grams per plant recorded for beans planted on land and buckets. The good news is that the beans were grown organically (no fertilizer applications).

Frost bite did affect many plants during the winter period but our members who had planted early did register good harvests. Planting in winter is discouraged after witnessing a lot of plants dying due to frost bite.

The surprise success came from bucket planted seeds which was an experiment and the good news is the bucket plants survived frost bite.

Now that most farmers now have seeds for upscale to commercial farming—we are now eagerly awaiting the onset of the next rain season as most of our farmers do not have access to irrigation water.

The best farming period is September to December using experience from last year. The experience gained by our farmers expected to improve yields as they go full commercial with some farming on bigger spaces of land such as farms, plots and rural land.