An amount of R800 million has been set aside to cultivate a whopping 300 000 hectares of land across the length and breath of the province for the 2012 summer planting season.
The amount includes financial injection from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DWAFF) that is aimed to ensure that decisive steps are being taken by the Government to make the Eastern Cape becomes the food basket of the country.
Currently, a team of experts and officials from the provincial Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR), DWAFF, traditional leaders and municipal representatives are ensuring the readiness of communities.
DRDAR MEC Zoleka Capa said food security initiatives in the province will be coordinated across all sector department, municipalities, NGOs and private sector into am integrated food security programme to make a meaningful impact to the communities.
MEC Capa said the department has a mandate of supporting poor and vulnerable households in the rural area and the intention was to ensure every arable land in province is cultivated hence the province is engaged in the Zero Hunger Campaign.
The ploughing of these hectors will be made possible by the provision of 75 tractors, which will be delivered to the province by the DWAFF Minister Tina Joemat-Petersson who has committed her department to fulfil the province’s target of 300 000 hectares by providing the necessary resources.
The team of experts are in the OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo Districts where the ploughing, because of the moist climate conditions in those area will start in the first week of July.
While the department acknowledges the tantamount task of ploughing 300 000 hectors, it is confident that through partnerships with private sector, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders it will achieve this target at the end of this financial year.
Already the department is engaged in the bulk-buying approach, with the emphasis on the use of Eastern Cape service provider, to ensure production inputs like seeds and fertilizers arrive in time to the needy rural community.
The department’s decision of no longer distributing tractors and their implements to the farmers will also help a great deal as they will be located in a central location so that they can be easily distributed to the districts in time.
The department will provide maintenance, fuel and drivers for the tractors and the MEC encouraged the municipalities to budget for fuel costs for the machinery operating in their jurisdiction so that the exercise can be speedily finished.
The beneficiaries, whose number is still being determined, will be helped with the marketing services to sell their produce so that they can contribute to the economic activities of the province.
Enquiries:
Ayabulela Ngoqo
Cell: 071 603 3235
Thozi Manyisana
Cell: 082 494 3600
