Programme Director
The Mayor,
Councillors
Traditional Leaders
Senior members of the administration
Farmers
Friends and colleagues
In our budget speech last week, we alluded the need to fight food insecurity, hunger and poverty in an integrated and coordinated manner, and that is through the establishment of food park. The establishment of Food Park will also assist us in distinguishing between poverty and hunger. The world today has more than 900 million who are hungry.
Programme Director, we held our first Provincial Food Park Summit in February 2011. The summit managed to bring this initiative and opportunity to the people of Limpopo so that they could provide feedback to the department.
Resolutions reached by the department are being considered. One of which, refers to the establishment and operation of the Food Park in this coming financial year through the support of Food Bank South Africa (FBSA).
Programme Director, there are many reasons why we are so determined with this project in Limpopo. Hundreds of people in Limpopo are faced with an untenable situation of going to bed hungry. Some of them go on for days with nothing to feed their families with.
The issue of addressing hunger and poverty need to be addressed carefully. We are cautious that we should not cultivate a spirit of dependency on the state. Once you do not make your calculations carefully, you may find yourself having developed an alien and foreign culture amongst our people. It is for that reason why we are developing this program with many other stakeholders, including Food Bank South Africa. Visiting other parts of the country and also abroad, has opened our eyes to see what other people are doing in addressing this scourge. The kind of intervention we are initiating will ensure government departments together with the private sector and civil society to work in an integrated and coordinated manner.
As mentioned earlier, we have made all necessary arrangements that the Food Park is operational in this financial year. A formal Memorandum of Understanding has therefore been signed with Food Bank South Africa in August 2011. With their necessary expertise, we believe they will take us through all necessary steps.
Food Bank South Africa started with a food park research development survey in the Capricorn District in August 2011. The survey was intended in finding out the extent of food security in the various municipalities of the District. In the process, various role players involved in the fight against hunger, poverty and food insecurity in the Capricorn District were identified.
It is for that reason that Food bank started preparing a warehouse in September 2011. This included procurement of shelves, vehicles, furniture, information communication technology equipment’s, trolley jerk and hiring of fork lift. It is important, Programme Director, to mention that the Food Park now boasts a fleet of vehicles which include 2x2s, five ton trucks, a long wheel base bakkie which is used for collecting and distributing food items to various areas, and a small utility vehicle used for day to day operations of the Food Park.
Program Director, the initial food were procured by Food Bank South Africa, and they consisted mainly of non-perishable food stuffs such as maize meal, sump, dry beans and canned fish. I am happy to announce here today that so far, Sunbake in Polokwane has committed themselves to donate 150 loaves of bread on a weekly basis. To date, donated foodstuffs also came from Pick n Pay in Johannesburg. We are busy consulting other private sector on an on-going basis to also come to the party for a good cause.
It is also important to mention that since January this year, we started with the prioritisation of procurement of foodstuffs from subsistence and smallholder farmers in line with our Zero Hunger Strategy of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF). To date farmers in the Lepelle Nkumpi are providing fresh agricultural products to the Food Park.
A total of 60 non-governmental organisations operating in the Capricorn District have been identified and contracted to work with Food Bank South Africa in the distribution of food to the indigent’s household and beneficiaries.
At present, the Limpopo Food Park is able to provide food to five local municipalities of the Capricorn District in the following way:
- Polokwane: 1 285 beneficiaries from 12 different organisations.
- Aganang: 1 378 beneficiaries from 12 different organisations.
- Blouberg: 1 066 beneficiaries from 12 different organisations
- Lepelle Nkumpi: 1 051 beneficiaries from 12 different organisations.
- Molemole: 768 beneficiaries from 11 organisations.
This then gives us a total of 5 548 beneficiaries being fed five days a week per month.
Programme Director, we have identified LIMDEV warehouse facilities in Seshego Industrial Park as our food park main warehouse. We have further entered into partnership with many other stakeholders such as the Department of Social Development to take this initiative to greater heights. Together with our traditional leadership in different parts of the province, non-government organisations, municipalities, we do believe the scourge of hunger and poverty can be addressed once and for all.
The scene has been set, the systems and processes are there. Now it is time for action.
I thank you.
