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8 April 2009

The MEC for Agriculture Gugile Nkwinti spent the last two days, Monday and Tuesday not only celebrating the achievements but delivering other necessary resources to enhance their farming abilities.

Since last month the MEC has been bidding his farewell to farmers in a slick way, from delivering about 37 tractors accompanied by implements to handing over of harvesters as well as delivering of the Siyazondla kit (gardening tools, seeds and seedlings).

The MEC’s journey this week started with the delivery of four tractors, 30 water tanks, and 30 Siyazondla kits that included spades, forks, seedlings, seeds and rakes as well as a bull and a fence to the Makana community at an event held a Kenton-on-Sea on Monday.

Addressing farmers at Kenton-on-Sea, Nkwinti said since the introduction of Siyazondla, which is encouraging homestead gardens, he has been told the programme has reduced conflicts brought before traditional leaders. He added that hunger caused conflicts among people and Siyazondla was feeling that gap by ensuring people are given tools to till their lands.

The MEC urged farmers to work collectively through cooperatives, farmers union or other organised structured to avoid conflicts over the tools and tractors delivered, added that if people were not using them, they’ll lose them. The MEC’s next stop was at Ndonga village in Lady Frere, where he officially handed over a multi-purpose shearing shed, a tractor as well as launching of a 2 000 hectors sorghum belt project.

The Lady Frere area has been identified as a sorghum hub and the Agriculture Department working with Emalahleni Municipality and National Development Agency aims to ensure the communities go back to their fields and produce this crop, which was hailed as one of the “heritages” of the Chris Hani District.

The area is also vast with livestock improvement, especially sheep where the department through its partnership with the National Wool Growers Association provides top of the range sheep in a bid to improve rural communities.

The MEC announced that the department has decided to identify 38 projects from each of the province’s municipalities and it will put special concentration on them, so that by the end of the 09/10 financial year they become fully fledged.
Nkwinti said these projects will have to be big and be part of the municipalities’ Intergrated Development Plan (IDPs), adding that the department will work with the municipalities and other stakeholders to identify and develop them.

For more information contact:
Thozi Manyisana
Cell: 073 263 3754

Issued by: Eastern Cape Provincial Government
8 April 2009