On Monday, 30 August 2010, the Gauteng farming community come together in Tshwane to witness the launch of the new Agricultural Expo by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) MEC, Ms Nandi Mayathula-Khoza. The expo is a partnership between the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Tshwane show.
In her speech, MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Ms Nandi Mayathula-Khoza encouraged everyone involved in agriculture to work hard to promote food security and shy away from prioritising material accumulation. She also encouraged the farming sector to form partnerships in order to succeed.
According to MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, the Agricultural Expo is an initiative which is in line with the ruling party's manifesto and its demand of us to work together with commercial farmers to promote Broad-Based Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) to create partnerships between emerging and established farmers and agrarian land reform.
This means that we will continue with excellent and productive approaches that benefit all farmers in agriculture but change those approaches that do not benefit the majority of the farmers.
"In June 2009, the premier and I therefore committed the Gauteng government to join hands with the farming community to promote the agricultural sector, amongst other initiatives, reviving the Agricultural Expo in Gauteng," noted MEC Mayathula-Khoza.
The Gauteng Agricultural Expo is expected to play a key role in the implementation of the Gauteng agriculture development strategy (GADS). The ten day expo also aimed at affording farmers, small Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) companies in agriculture, and input suppliers an opportunity to showcase their products and interact with farming clientele within and outside the province during the show.
It is expected that the expo will benefit farmers and other stakeholders in the following manner:
- Forge links with all key agriculture stakeholders in Gauteng province.
- Create an opportunity for the sale of agriculture related materials at promotional rates
- Promote farmer interactions and farmer to farmer mentoring
- Visitors to the expo will explore the extent of agriculture technology, innovations and creativity relevant to their farming operations in Gauteng
- Showcase outcomes and outputs of Gauteng biotechnology and agro-processing strategies relative to the smallholder farmer, emerging farming sector and commercial farming sector
- Enable Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to identify and explore possible partnerships in achieving objectives as well as implementation of GADS and develop agricultural hubs
- Serve as a learning avenue for interns and agriculture students about the farming sector and career options.
MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza has urged members of the public that are interested in agriculture and those who would like to know more about farming to visit the expo and go to hall H where they will directly interact with farmers and get more information.
Source: Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gauteng Provincial Government
