[ Home ] [ Speeches & statements ]

1 July 2008

The Department of Agriculture in connection with Amathole District Municipality cordially invites you to a hand over of a tractor to the community of Chizele village in Idutywa. This is the second tractor to be handed to this community, which is involved in the department's massive food production programme and they are utilising 4 000 hectors to realise their dream of bringing food on top the table.

The project is one of the largest in the province as it is benefiting about 3 000 people leaving at ward five at Mbashe municipality and according to Councillor Siphiwe Maqondo, "no house is skipped". The impact of the project is enormous because people in the area now realise the importance of cultivating land and starvation is being driven away through planting maize and vegetables.

The department has fenced the fields and a shearing shed has been built in a bid to develop wool, in an area that has huge flock of sheep and the department is helping through its livestock improvement programme. The first tractor was donated in 2005 by the Amathole district municipality and a farmer's association, which focuses on the agriculture department sponsored programme Siyazondla, was formed.

The second tractor, which has all the necessary equipment, will ensure that all the hectors are cultivated while departmental extension services officials will ensure that the inputs and advisory services are rendered.

The buying of this tractor has been a joint effort where the four chiefs in the area each brought a donation of R20 000 and the farmer's association also brought R20 000 from its profits and the Amathole district topped up the money.

It is through these joint efforts that the department will be able to realise the dream of developing the rural communities through farming and other entities. It is the department's view that if people work their land together; the rampant hunger caused by high food prices can be eliminated.

The department therefore calls upon the communities to engage their selves in agriculture to fight underdevelopment, poverty, starvation and unemployment. Members of the media are invited to witness the handing over of the tractor and hear people making testimonies on how the department in collaboration with the municipalities and community change lives.

Details of the event
Venue: Chizela Village
Date: 2 July 2008
Time: 10h00

Contact person
S Maqondo
Cell: 084 222 8114

Ms Ntantiso
Cell: 079 491 0948

For more information:
Thozi Manyisana
Cell: 073 263 3754
Contact: 040 609 3965

Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
1 July 2008