The MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mbulelo Sogoni cordially invites you to a sod turning ceremony and the launch of a Women’s Development which will be non-governmental organisation aiming at women uplitfment.
The sod turning ceremony will mark the start of the building of a R3 million worth hatchery that will be owned by the youngest award-winning poultry farmer Bongiwe Kali.
The hatchery, which is sponsored by the department, will house incubators that will be able to produce at least 10 000 chicks a week which will be sold at one day old to local and provincial farmers.
Kali, who is the reigning National Female Farmer of the Year, is upbeat about these developments and on the same day she will be launching her brainchild non-governmental organisation (NGO), which is aimed at empowering rural youth and women.
Explaining this initiative, Kali says as a young woman living in the rural areas she was exposed to young women living in poverty, lack of skills, highly unemployed and lack access to knowledge and information.
She then came up with the NGO idea, which is envisaged to promote the advancement of young women’s rights, empowerment and their development. The NGO seeks to promote and develop excellence in agriculture amongst young women, create an awareness of the need to improve agricultural activities in order to ensure food security and economic stability of their communities.
Through this NGO, Kali want to connect young community leaders across the country to enhance their skills in leadership, entrepreneurship, and business acumen and community development efforts.
Kali, who is a poultry farmer from Ntseshe village in Ngqamakhwe, made history last year by becoming the youngest National Female Farmer of Year at the age of 27 in a ceremony held in Cape Town where she also received the Top Producer: National Market award.
She is passionate about the involvement of young women in the agriculture business and she is constantly making calls to them to embark on agricultural projects, which are supported by the department of agriculture.
Kali, who took over the poultry business from her award winning mother Nosandla two years ago, is currently producing 1 500 chicks a week and can pick up to 300 eggs a day during the pick season.
The sponsoring of the new hatchery will be a new era to Kali’s business as she would be able to produce 10 000 chicks a week and this will mean her project will be in a position of creating more than the 12 jobs it is has created so far.
Details of the event:
Date: 26 June 2009
Venue: Ntseshe village, Ngqamakhwe
Time: 9h30
For more information contact:
Yvonne Matsheketwa
Senior Manager: Communications and Customer Care Services
Cell: 078 218 7370
Or
Thozi Manyisana
Media Liaison Officer
Cell: 073 263 3754
Issued by: Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
24 June 2009
