Following the Provincial Drought Dialogue that was held on 26 March 2015 and as a follow up to the resolutions made during the dialogue then, the MEC for Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development (READ), Manketsi Tlhape together with the Honourable Premier Supra Mahumapelo will host a Provincial Dialogue with Financial Institutions and organised agriculture.
The READ department would like to use the platform to engage these institutions in order to explore various strategies that would allow producers, both smallholder and commercial, to continue with their farming operations for the next production season and beyond.
The outlook as presented in the previous Dialogue was that current production season, especially for crops, was bleak with very low harvest figures expected. Key issues discussed then included the effects of drought on food security and the economy, mitigation strategies and exploring medium to long term strategies to deal with drought.
Amongst the major concerns raised by both smallholder and commercial farmers were the negative and dire prospects of not being able to access funding and other production means for the next production season.
The department would like to further engage with Financial Institutions on their proposed mitigation of the recent drought.
Details of the event:
Date: Wednesday, 30 March 2016
Time: 10h00
Venue: NWK Opleidingsentrum, 29 Daniel Street, Lichtenburg.
To RSVP please contact Tsholofelo Dintwe on 083 576 7655. Transport for media is available on request.
Enquires:
Tsholofelo Dintwe
Acting Director: Communication Services
Tel: 018 389 5768
Cell: 079 9467 486 or 083 5767 655
Email: tsholofelod@nwpg.gov.za
