MEC Pieters to engage with key Agri development organizations to find sustainable ways to grow Eastern Cape’s agriculture economy
Department Rural Development and Agrarian Reform MEC Nonkqubela Pieters will hold a stakeholder engagement session with commercial agriculture organizations key in the province’s agricultural economy to explore the Province’s potential to increase farm income, create jobs through increasing value chain participation and investments in the agriculture economy.
The meeting, which will take place in Africanos Country Estate, Addo tomorrow morning, will see a thorough discussion of the inclusive agriculture investment framework that was first discussed during the MEC’s engagement with various farmer’s associations and institutions in East London last year.
Tuesday’s engagement is targeted at commodity groups that are already implementing development programs targeting black smallholder farmers and championing commodity growth plans. These initiatives have potential to increase investment in the agriculture economy in partnership with the farmers and the provincial government.
One of the expected key outcomes from this stakeholder engagement includes workable strategies to expand the province’s income from agricultural products, job creation, improve food security, increase revenue from agro- export transactions, import substitution and many other multiplier effects in the economy. The implementation of the framework will see promotion of value-chain integration, improve market access and improve service provision in the agricultural sector.
The meeting will focus on mapping the Eastern Cape agricultural asset base, enabling infrastructure needs, investment opportunities and available funding tools. The engagement will also identify ways in which the agricultural sector can work in a collaborative and integrated way to develop inclusive and sustainable agriculture sector envisioned in Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan (AAMP) to contribute towards the growth of the provincial economy.
DRDAR aspire to develop inclusive value-chains, effective targeting of farmers, promoting productive alliances, breaking the technology barrier, narrowing the gender gap in the sector, and addressing political economy issues affecting agricultural investment in the Eastern Cape that will be presented to potential investors later this year.
Members of the media are invited to cover this event.
Details of the event:
Venue: Africanos Country Estate, Addo Date: 05 March 2024
Time: 08h30am
For more information, and to RSVP, please contact:
Nonkoliseko Msutu: 082 771 7246 (Assistant Director: Corporate Communication)
Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha: 0829558833 (Chief Director: Communications and Customer Care)
