24 Oct 2013
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) is mandated to provide food to all South Africans, and Fetsa Tlala provides us with the tools to do that. We are working with other departments to ensure that we have a wholesome approach to eradicating hunger in our country through government support and the private sector.
President Jacob Zuma will officially launch Fetsa Tlala at Batlharos Stadium in Kuruman, Northern Cape today with the DAFF and the provincial Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. Fetsa Tlala is a multi-sectoral approach by government to deal with structural problems of food insecurity. This initiative is supported by various programmes including the Integrated Food Production Programme championed by DAFF. Through Fetsa Tlala government intends to assist small-scale and smallholder producers to put at least one million hectares of arable land under production by 2019 across the country.
One project that will be visited on the day to signify the launch is the Manyeding Cooperative in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality. The project, an organic herb and vegetable project was started in 2010 and has 158 beneficiaries from three villages in the area.
The launch will see the planting of seedlings, planting of maize, handing over of vegetable starter packs to 20 households and livestock (24 Nguni cattle to be handed over two groups, 20 Boer goats to be handed over to two groups and a 100 point of lay chickens to 10 groups) at Manyeding.
The project received R5 million from the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) during the period 2013/14. Crops produced include organic vegetables such as cabbage, pumpkin, bush grey, onions, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, spices, herbs, beetroot and fruits and currently supplies to markets in the province.
The day will later see the launch of DAFF’s Primary Animal Healthcare (PAHC) Programme at Batlharos Stadium as part of the department’s initiative to combat animal diseases and to improve access to veterinary services especially in remote rural areas.
The PAHC Programme is a nationwide project aimed at complementing the recently approved Compulsory Communality Service (CCS) Programme for newly qualified veterinary doctors in order to capacitate provinces. Absence of veterinary clinics and related infrastructure, especially in rural areas, is a major challenge. DAFF commissioned the manufacturing of 23 veterinary ambulatory vehicles and four mobile animal clinics in an effort to provide such access to areas where there are no permanent veterinary facilities. The vehicles will be operated by a team of student veterinary doctors and para-veterinary professionals and will provide a range of animal health interventions such as vaccination of major livestock and pet diseases, animal identification procedures, treatments against parasitic diseases and clinical operations.
The first batch of mobile clinics and ambulatories has been completed and is ready for delivery and handover to various provinces. A total of R326 million has been set aside to support the PAHC and the CCS programmes in the next three-year Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) cycle.
For further information please contact:
Steve Galane
Acting Chief Director: Stakeholder Relations and Communications
Cell: 083 635 7346
E-mail: SteveGAL@daff.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
