by Olwetu Batyi | May 6, 2020 | atp1
AGRICULTURE INTERVENTIONS TO COMBAT COVID – 19
The Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) is supporting the Department of Health (DoH) during the outbreak of Covid-19 by providing six mobile veterinary clinics to increase the field screening capacity.
This was announced by DRDAR MEC Nomakhosazana Meth during a press briefing held at the Bhisho Massacre Memorial Centre where Premier Lubabalo Mabuyane with some MECs were updating the media about the status Covid-19 in the province.
Meth added that the department has also made available on loan basis to the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), through DoH, three (3) Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) extractors and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) “machine” (amplifier) to augment the existing provincial capacity for laboratory testing.
Apart from the support to DoH, the MEC also reported on the COVID-19 Disaster Agricultural Support Fund, COVID-19 Disaster Agricultural Support Fund to PLAS farms, COVID-19 Disaster Agricultural Support Fund to commercial farmers, DRDAR COVID-19 Household Food Security Programme and DRDAR COVID-19 Disaster Agricultural Support to commercial farmers
The COVID-19 Disaster Agricultural Support Fund (CDASF) was announced by the minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza with of R1, 2 billion to cushion off farmers and households to continue food supply from the negative impact resulting from the pandemic across the country.
MEC Meth said DRDAR officials assisted farmers with the application process and received applications through all local and District offices.
From 23 April 2020, DRDAR offices registered 9885 forms that were hand delivered and 723 applications were lodged on line which gave a total submission of 10 608.
She said all the applications are currently being screened at district offices where DRDAR and the National DARDLR is represented and adjudication at provincial level is going to be concluded on May 8.
On the COVID-19 Disaster Agricultural Support Fund to land reform beneficiaries, which also Minister Didiza’s initiative aimed at ensuring food security whilst the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, MEC said seven farms were identified.
“These farms were identified prior to the COVID-19 disaster and as such the support will be provided in terms of their original assessment and related production inputs, key infrastructure including water provision and water board fees,” she said, adding that the assessments of the specific needs of the farm has a budget of R 63.4m.
She added that farmers on Proactive Land, Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) farms will benefit in the R400m of the R1.2 billion that was allocated in line with the former DRDLR Stimulus Package.
She said there was also COVID-19 Disaster Agricultural Support Fund to commercial farmers, which is allocated an amount of R100million nationally and will be administered by the Land Bank.
Meth announced that DRDAR has established COVID-19 Household Food Security Programme, which has a budget of R20 million.
The MEC said this program will support the vulnerable household with the production needs that include vegetable production inputs, fertilizer, provision of free-range indigenous chicken’s production pack that include 6 hens and one rooster as well as yellow maize and stress packs.
She added that DRDAR working with sister departments will provide households with hand sanitizers face masks and hand gloves whilst households with no access to water will be supported with water harvesting equipment that will ensure availability of water for backyard gardens
Meth said the National department has provided the province with PPE’s that are being distributed to the farm workers and target hotspots.
The MEC said 40 000 masks and 44 000 bar soaps had been delivered to the province for distribution to farm workers and DRDAR is currently procuring 20 000 cloth masks and 20 000 gloves.
DRDAR, through its Dohne Agricultural Development Institute in collaboration with Rhodes University has produced 1 300 litres of sanitizers, which were packaged in 500 ml.
“The institution is currently producing 300 litres per day and the plan is to increase to 1000 per day. This initiative will benefit the surrounding communities, agriculture value chain facilities and rural communities’,” Meth said.
The Tsolo Agriculture and Rural Development Institute is also producing cloth mask to support the surrounding communities with the production expected to increase to reach 10 000 over a next two months.
“The departmental continuity plan responds to the current issue that farmers are experiencing, to this effect farmers and officials were issued with movement permits for easy access to markets.
“The departmental support to the farming community through supply of PPE is ongoing and commercial farmers in Sarah Baartman and Amathole were visited for inspection and distribution.
“The technical units of the department had been visible in the communities doing scouting and treatment of African and Fall Army worms, as well as animal health related outbreaks,” the MEC concluded.
by Olwetu Batyi | May 4, 2020 | atp1
Just as if COVID-19 was not enough, we have discovered that certain pockets of our grasslands and pastures were infected with African armyworms, as the Department we activated a technical team to help fight these worms that are destroying pastures and grasslands in the three districts namely Amathole, Alfred Nzo and Chris Hani districts.
This outbreak comes hot on the heels of one of the worst droughts in living memory and affects our communities in tandem with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic. Districts that were heavily affected by drought, who are now experiencing a resurgence of greener pastures and grasslands are encouraged to conduct vigorous scouting for the insect both in maize fields and pastures.
The coronavirus must be contained. The coronavirus kills. Help save South Africa. Together, we can beat this.
Please stay HOME! Stay SAFE!
by Olwetu Batyi | May 4, 2020 | atp1
In her capacity as MPL deployed in the Cradock constituency, Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform MEC Nomakhosazana Meth hands over food parcels, fresh vegetables, dignity packs and sanitizers to Hawkers in Cradock. With Hawkers being an integral part of the South Africa’s economy, offering easy access to a wide range of goods and services in public spaces, the impact of the COVID-19 on Hawkers and small businesses has been severely disrupted by COVID-19.
COVID-19 has affected Hawkers’ businesses, with some being unable to put food on the table. MEC Meth therefore felt it necessary to help this sector to continue putting food on the table for their families as the business have been disrupted by COVID-19.
by Olwetu Batyi | May 4, 2020 | atp1
LIFE LINE FOR FARMERS
MORE than 10 000 farmers across the Eastern Cape have responded to the clarion call made by government, to apply for financial relief during the COVID-19 the announcement came just days after President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the Coronavirus outbreak as a disaster and put in place a 21-day lockdown.
Minister of Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza announced that government has allocated R1.2-billion to provide financial assistance to small-scale farmers across the country so as to protect the country’s food supply chain during the lockdown and beyond.
Amongst the commodities included in the financial relief are:
- Poultry: Day old chicks, Point of lay chickens, feed, medication and sawdust;
- Other Livestock: Feed and medication.
- Vegetables: Seedlings, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides and soil correction
- Other commodity sectors were evaluated on a case by case basis, as the Department continuously monitors the impact of COVID-19 on the sector at large.
It was also announced that farmers on Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) farms would benefit from the financial relief, in that R 400m of the R1.2 billion is allocated in line with the former Department of Rural Development and Land Reform’s Stimulus Package. Part of the R 1,2-bn allocation is allocated to support communities in the OR Tambo District where the District Development Model is being piloted with hygiene products as part of an effort to prevent the spread of the pandemic.
Meth has also handed over personal protective equipment like gloves, sanitisers and masks to smallholder farmers across the province Applications are submitted in local offices and will be evaluated in in districts, Provincial and National structure
by Olwetu Batyi | May 4, 2020 | atp1
THE Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform has swiftly reacted to the outbreak of the African armyworms that pose a threat on the province’s food security. On Thursday (April 9, 2020), the department responsible for sustainable food production distributed insecticides to farmers in Fairban Village in Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality under the Amatole District. Backpack and boom sprayers mounted to three tractors to fumigate a farmland of more than 400 hectares accompanied the insecticides. The department has roped in youth to help in the eradication of the worms.
Armyworms attack leaves of plants mostly in the grass family, which include maize, lurcene, sorghum and pasture. Because of the deadly cyanide poison that is associated with the armyworms, livestock that has fed or feeds on pastures infested with the worms are at a risk of dying. Among the symptoms of an animal that has fed on contaminated feed are swelling, twitching, and bloated stomach that lead to death. So far, four animals’ goats and cattle- have died in the area as a result of the armyworms.
Mbi is a member of a co-op that produces and sells livestock feed across the Eastern Cape Province. “We had to act fast so we can save the feed we are growing at the farm. And the worms came at a time where were preparing to harvest,” she said.
One of the farmers who grow animal feed in Fairban Village, Nobuntu Mbi (54) said they found out about the armyworm in their field on March 31 and immediately reported to the department.
MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, Nomakhosazana Meth said her department has activated a technical team to arrest the outbreak. The known affected regions are Amatole and Alfred Nzo.M EC Nomakhosazana Meth combatting the deadly African armyworm.
She said in spite of the novel corona virus that has forced the country into a lockdown to help curb the spread of the virus, the country still needs to be fed and the Arican armyworm is a threat to food production.
“The country needs food even if we are on a lockdown”. It is for that reason that we had to make ways to deal with the situation before it worsens our problems. But we have a group of highly qualified experts to deal with such situations,” said Meth.
