THE MEC for the Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform Nomakhosazana Meth today handed over vouchers to farmers as part of the Covid-19 Agricultural Disaster Fund set up to ensure sustainable food production during and post the Covid-19 pandemic.

Through the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development government allocated R1,2 billion to assist smallholder and communal farmers across the country.

Briefing the MEC ahead of the handover, Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Acting Chief Director, Dudu Nghona said the amounts given to farmers varied according to the needs of the farmers.

Elated MEC Meth said the vouchers were life changing to farmers who had been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. “Now that the farmers have received this funding, life will never be the same for them. I am glad that we also have young people who have benefited out of this.”

Chairperson of the Eastern Cape Poultry Farmers Association Mhlobo Mbane said he was grateful for the funding and urged the department to conduct strict monitoring and evaluation so as to ensure that the vouchers were used for what they are meant for. He also thanked the Department’s Extension and Advisory Services for ensure that farmers received the applications on time even under strict Level 5 lockdown regulations.

Another farmer, Nonkululeko Nduzulwana who runs a poultry and piggery farm in Buffalo City Metro received vouchers to the tune of R50 000. She said the vouchers would be used to buy more broilers and pumps for the farm. Nduzulwana’s farm supplies ANCA Poultry in Stutterheim with eight-week-old chicks every two months.

“We are grateful for the support we have received. The vouchers will go a long way in supporting us to buy more broilers and other supplies for the farm. Our dream is to increase our capacity to 300 000 because we have the market and demand,” said Nduzulwana.

72-year-old Myra Nogaga who runs a farm of 1000 layers said she really needed “this support. I feel ‘wow’. I have joy in my heart. We had experienced hardships during the lockdown because our layers died as we could not access feed. I lost about 10% of my layers. Now with these vouchers worth R50 000, I will be able to buy more. I am very grateful to government for this intervention.”

Out of the farmers who received vouchers was also 19-year-old Nomagcinandile Suduka who runs a small poultry farm in Great Kei Municipality. The teenager said she was elated to have receive vouchers to boost her poultry enterprise. “I’m going to buy more chickens as I have already build structures to accommodate more chickens. With these vouchers I will buy 100 more chickens”.

Of the10618 applications in the province, 1622 applications were successful 556 of which were women while 217 were youths. The total amount to be issued to farmers amounts to R65 694 654.

Reasons for non-approval stem from non-compliance with the criteria such as the number of years in farming, proof of access to land, annual turnover from agricultural enterprise activities of not less than R 20 000, number of jobs created by the enterprise and proof of access to markets.

To date the total number of 2612 vouchers for 875 applicants have been received. The vouchers are meant to buy feed, medication, fertiliser, and chemicals depending on the commodity of each applicant.

The breakdown per district is as follows:

Sarah Baartman 1084

Alfred Nzo 752

OR Tambo 312

Joe Gqabi 218

Amathole 312

Chris Hani 11

The outstanding 747 applicants are being processed.