Search for "irrigation companies in Zimbabwe" and you get a list of names with no sense of who does what. That matters, because the business that sells you a drip kit for half a hectare of tomatoes is usually not the one to call for a 30-hectare pivot, and neither of them drills boreholes. The Farm Build directory lists 37 irrigation suppliers, almost all of them in Harare. This guide sorts them by the job you actually need done.

Start with the water, not the system

Every irrigation quote assumes you have water. If you're relying on a borehole that hasn't been drilled yet, or one whose yield you've never tested, sort that out first. A system designed around a borehole that can't deliver its flow will underperform no matter who installs it.

The drilling contractors in the directory include Nakiso Borehole Drilling, which handles siting, drilling, casing and pump installation, Riverine Borehole Drilling, Rockwell Borehole Drilling in Greendale, Borehole Clinic in Eastlea and Shinko Solar & Boreholes, which pairs drilling with solar installation. Several irrigation companies below also offer siting and drilling, which can simplify things if one firm designs the whole system.

As covered in what solar water pumping costs, a borehole plus solar pump runs from about US$750 to more than US$2,300 installed, depending mostly on drilling depth. Ask the driller for a yield test result in writing. Your irrigation designer will need that figure.

Drip kits and small plots

For market gardens, greenhouse crops and anything under a couple of hectares, drip is usually the right system, and this is where most of the suppliers compete.

  • DripTech Irrigation is the biggest name. It was founded in 1995 and runs five retail branches (Glenara, Workington, Msasa, Harare Drive in Pomona, and Seke Road) plus a pipe factory and a tank factory. It covers drip, micro-jet, overhead and pivot equipment along with pumps and tanks. The Glenara branch alone has more than 370 Google reviews averaging 4.3.
  • Mimishac Irrigation in Graniteside has operated since 2012. It supplies drip kits, sprinklers, rain guns, pumps, tanks and LDPE/HDPE pipe, and offers borehole siting. It's the most-searched irrigation company on this site.
  • Irrigation Plus sells drip and sprinkler kits and pumps, and offers consultancy and farmer training on top.
  • Total Farm Solutions in Avondale and Greencon, in business since 1991, are mainly greenhouse companies that also supply drip kits. They're worth calling if you're putting up a tunnel and want one supplier for both.
  • Farm & City Centre stocks irrigation equipment alongside its general farm inputs. It's convenient for fittings and top-ups, though you'll get less design help there.

On cost, a complete 1-hectare solar pump and drip kit comes to roughly US$4,500. Small kits for a few hundred square metres sell for a few hundred dollars. The bigger risk with drip is clogging, not the price. Hard borehole water in the commercial farming belt can block emitters with calcium deposits, and one Mazowe Valley system was reportedly running at about 40% of its design flow after 18 months because nobody acid-treated the water. Ask any drip supplier what filtration they're specifying, and whether your water needs treating.

Overhead sprinklers, rain guns and pumps

For field crops, pasture and orchards, where drip lines get in the way, overhead systems are the usual choice. These companies design and install them, and most are strong on pumps.

  • Speroni Irrigation on Dumfries Road supplies and installs drip and overhead systems. It distributes pump brands including Speroni, Franklin, Shakti and Aquastrong, and also repairs equipment.
  • Harare Pumps and Irrigation in Eastlea has more than ten years in pumping. It supplies submersible and centrifugal pumps, and designs drip, overhead and pivot schemes.
  • Four Seasons Irrigation in Mount Pleasant does drip, overhead and greenhouse systems, plus solar installation, drilling and operator training.
  • WITHub Group in Marlborough distributes drip brands including Netafim, alongside overhead systems, solar pumping and agronomy support.
  • Forster Irrigation focuses on drip, sprinkler, filtration and fertigation, and supplies CRI pumps.

Centre pivots and travelling irrigators

Pivots are a commercial-farm purchase, and only a handful of companies handle them.

  • Centre Pivot Irrigation in Kenmark Crescent specialises in pivots and is reportedly the only Valley Irrigation dealer in Zimbabwe.
  • Waterwright Irrigation in Pomona is the Zimbabwean agent for South Africa's Rotrix Africa and sells travelling irrigators. These cost less than a pivot and suit irregularly shaped fields.
  • Liquiteq in Willowvale, founded in 2017, designs and installs pivots, overhead and drip systems, pumps and pipelines across Zimbabwe and parts of SADC.
  • Maka Farm in Ruwa installs and repairs irrigation systems. That's useful if you're buying a second-hand pivot that needs work.

New pivot prices aren't published, so get a quote. The second-hand market gives a sense of scale. Used pivots advertised on Agri Universe include a 20-hectare Zimmatic towable in Marondera at US$26,500, a 20-hectare Valley unit in Marondera at US$40,000, and a fixed 32-hectare Zimmatic in Mvurwi at US$45,000. That's roughly US$850 to US$2,000 per hectare, with a median around US$1,400, for the machine alone. Pumps, mainline, power and installation come on top. Before you buy used, check whether the control panel, end gun and transport are included, and ask to see it running.

Pipes, tanks and fittings

If you're building your own system or extending one, you can buy straight from the manufacturers.

  • Proplastics, a company listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, makes PVC, uPVC and HDPE pipe, fittings, borehole casing and tanks.
  • Lamasat on Simon Mazorodze Road makes tanks and HDPE/PVC pipe, and sells electric, solar and engine-driven pumps.
  • Waverley Plastics and Y.Z.L Wholesalers both stock HDPE pipe.

Before you pay a deposit

Whichever company you choose, get at least three written quotes and ask each one the same questions:

  • Is the quote in US dollars, and how long is it valid? Prices move. One regional supplier reports a drip system quoted at US$3,500 in January costing about US$4,200 by June.
  • What flow and pressure is the design based on? Make sure it matches your borehole yield test or dam capacity.
  • What filtration is included, and does my water need treating?
  • Who installs it, and is training included? Several companies listed here include training. It's worth having.
  • Where do spares come from? Parts are easy to get in Harare. In Chipinge or the Honde Valley, a broken fitting can mean a week's wait. Fewer, standard fitting types make repairs faster.

Every company named here has a profile in the Farm Build directory with its address, map location and contact details.

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