Good progress has been made in rolling out our Agri-Parks, in all 44 Districts in the country
Significant progress has been made in the roll out of Agri-parks in all 44 districts across the country. Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti said Agri-parks are a Rural Development Program which will serve as a catalyst for the revitalization of the rural economy. The Minister announced that R450 million was set aside for the establishment of Agri-parks in KwaZulu-Natal out of a total budget of R2 billion for the national roll out.
The Minister made the announcement during the first of a series of consultation meetings with stakeholders on the establishment of Agri-parks and the formation of District Land Reform Committees (DLRC).
The Minister held discussions with emerging farmers, district mayors, traditional leaders and farmer organisations at Cedara outside Pietermaritzburg on Saturday, 12 September. The meeting was hosted with the support of the Provincial Agriculture and Rural Development MEC, Mr Cyril Xaba.
Notable progress has been made in the process of rolling out Agri-parks with the identification of all 44 sites across the country completed. A state of readiness assessment has also been completed with a district wide analysis of each Local Municipality against the potential commodity that can be successfully produced.
The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform is pleased with the progress made toward the establishment of Agri-parks which are expected to create 90 000 jobs in the value addition activities linked with the various Agri-park components. This excludes the contribution that will be made towards the establishment of 300 000 smallholder farmers.
The objectives that inform the establishment of Agri-parks are:
- to kick-start rural economic transformation by establishing an Agri park in each of the 44 districts of the country
- to grow the small holder sector by contributing to the establishment of 300 000 new small scale producers: by increasing production and bringing land that is lying fallow into full production
- skills development and support to small-holder farmers through the provision of capacity building, mentorship, farm infrastructure, extension services, production inputs and mechanization inputs
- strengthen partnership within government and with the private sector
- increase employment.
In KwaZulu-Natal, ten sites have been identified for the establishment of Agri-parks; these are at different stages of development. Each district has been reviewed and commodity options have been selected, which takes into account land capacity, what is actually farmed in the area and which commodity is more likely to assist with the set objectives of increased production.
For example, in the Kwa Dukuza area vegetables, sub-tropical fruit and sugar have been identified as the most suitable commodity.
Deputy Director-General of Rural Infrastructure Development and acting DDG Rural Enterprise and Industrial Development, Ms Leona Archary is spearheading the operational aspects of the establishment of Agri-parks.
Government will support Agri-parks for a period of ten years (10) to ensure economic sustainability after which it is expected that farmers will take complete control. A working group of all relevant government departments has been established to deal with all regulatory requirements pertaining to Agri-parks such as environmental impact assessments.
“Of critical importance to the success of all Agri-parks are production plans, market linkages and skills development which we plan on completing within the next three to six months. We are working together with the National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to ensure production plans already submitted, for all provinces, are implemented to coincide with the coming planting season, and jointly we are working tirelessly to ensure the farmers are supported,” said Minister Nkwinti.
Good progress has also been made in the roll out of District Land Reform Committees; it is expected the total number of 44 will be up and running by the end of September in all provinces. The main function of the District Land Reform Committees is to identify land for redistribution and to identify prospective beneficiaries based on the relevant criteria. KwaZulu-Natal has the largest number of District Land Reform Committees at ten (10).
Membership of the DLRC is being sourced from within the communities to ensure adequate representation of the interests of residents in the various districts. The DLRCs will advise government in terms of suitability of farms for acquisition and also serve as support for Agri-parks.
According to Minister Nkwinti, the establishment of DLRCs will also assist to eliminate the challenge of farms that have been acquired by the department for redistribution subsequently lying fallow.
Enquiries:
Linda Page
Cell: 083 460 4482
Email: Linda.Page@drdlr.gov.za
