To enhance agriculture activities and ensure sustainable contribution of the sector in the provincial economy, Eastern Cape Agriculture MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe will handover infrastructure and machinery that will assist farmers to develop their enterprises in Qhimirha village in Sterkspruit.
The handover will include a multi-purpose shed, a spring water project and a tractor with its implements in a bid to ensure farmers have the necessary tools needed to advance their agricultural activities and elevate themselves to the commercial scale.
The shed is one of 10 sheds constructed by the Department of Agriculture during the 2025/26 financial year in the Joe Gqabi District to enhance the aggregation of wool for communal farmers, enabling them to access formal markets and improve their income.
The wool production project which started in 1987 with only 2 members, has now grown to 23 members with 13 males and 10 females who own a combined flock of more than 800 sheep.
The structure previously used by the farmers was an old shop building that was in a very bad condition with damaged floor, cracked walls and leaking roof.
This resulted in the accumulation of dust and water damage to wool, affecting the wool quality which ultimately reduced the farmers income.
The new shed comes with ablution facilities, a plunge dip with evaporation pan, shearing equipment with sorting tables, bins, cable pressor and a weighing scale.
The farmers send their wool to Gqeberha where it is sold through wool broker BKB that helps farmers to sell their wool internationally while weaners and culled sheep are sold through local abattoirs and marketing agents. The spring water project saw more than 500 households from the Qhimirha village gaining access to clean drinking water with a total of 29 water points for domestic use and irrigation while one tap was installed at Qhimirha Primary School.
During the implementation of the project, at least 51 job opportunities were created where 48 women and about 55% were young people with only 3 men employed.
The MEC will also hand over a tractor with implements to Makarabha Mixed Farming project to enable the beneficiaries to have means of production and accordingly implement their production plan.
The project was established in 2000 by two members which later grew to six members and is situated in Qoboshane village where they produce vegetables for income generation and currently planted potatoes (2ha), pumpkin (1 ha), sorghum (2 ha), butternut (1 ha), green beans (1 ha) and wheat (3 ha).
The department has supported the project with a water tank, vegetable seeds, fertilizer, water pump, and ongoing technical advice to provide means of production and they hire 15 seasonal employees.
The project wanted to expand the production land but is hindered by the lack of machinery and equipment hence the intervention. Members of the media are invited to join the MEC as she hands over the tools aimed to ensure food security and agricultural economic growth in an event that will take place as follows:
Venue: Qhimirha multi-purpose shed, Qhimira village, Sterkpruit
Date: 10 March 2026
Time: 10h00
For more information and to RSVP, please contact Mr Atule Joka on 071 688 4231 or Mr Thozi Manyisana on 063 183 9512
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