Susan Mawonawani, Purleigh Investments Managing Director
BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
FARMERS have been urged to embrace green energy solutions such as solar power to ensure uninterrupted irrigation, improve productivity and increase profits.
Speaking on the sidelines of Seed Co Wheat Field Day held at Rattray Arnold Research Station along Shamva Road on Tuesday, Purleigh Investments Managing Director, Susan Mawonawani said farmers could take advantage of Zimbabwe’s abundant sunshine to reduce energy costs and improve their farming operations.
Mawonawani said going solar would allow farmers to plan their planting dates and irrigation cycles without worrying about interruptions in power supplies.
“Why would the farmers go green, go solar; you can plan on your planting dates, your irrigation cycles, they become uninterrupted and by so doing, the productivity, the yield, the yield improves and at the end of the day we begin to talk of the profits,” said Mawonawani.
She said farmers could recover their investment in solar systems within three to five years, depending on their level of production.
“The payback period for productive farmers, we are looking at three to five years as well. “Let’s take advantage, we have the abundance of sun in Zimbabwe, which is a free source of energy. We urge people to invest in green energy solutions.”
She added that Purleigh Investments was promoting green farming through solar solutions designed to support irrigation across different crops.
“At Purleigh we are advocating for farming the green way. We do have solar solutions that aid the irrigation for all the various crops that are grown in Zimbabwe,” she said.
Susan Mawonawani (right) talks to Professor Obert Jiri and other officials at their stand during the Wheat Field Day
Mawonawani added that the company offers different solar systems, including hybrid solutions and battery energy storage systems, which allow farmers to continue using solar power even when there is no sunlight.
She said the systems can also be connected to net metering, allowing excess power generated by farmers to be sent to ZESA for virtual storage.
“More importantly, our systems are coming with net metering. Again, every unit of power that is excess to your requirements, we are able to send it to ZESA for virtual storage,” she said.
Mawonawani added that this could help farmers manage their electricity costs and improve their profits.
“We are encouraging farmers to invest in these reliable, sustainable solar solutions,” she said.
She added that Purleigh Investments also has different financing options available to farmers, with payment periods ranging from two to three years.
Farmers can approach the company for customised solar solutions and free quotations based on their individual farming requirements.
