DRDAR MEC Nomakhosazana Meth flanked by the beneficiaries of 40 Tuli Heifers that were handed over as part of department’s Livestock Improvement programme in Ngqushwa. From left, Hambile Msiwa of Selborn farm, twins Zovuyo and Zipho Makhwabe of the Wicklow farm and Bonnie Bokwe of Skipper’s Block farm.
Media Statement
17 May 2020
MINISTER DIDIZA ANNOUNCES THE OUTCOME OF THE COVID-19 AGRICULTURAL DISASTER FUND APPLICATION PROCESS
The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Ms Thoko Didiza announced today the outcome of the Covid-19 Agricultural Disaster Fund application process. The fund intervention of R1,2 billion aims to address the effects of the Coronavirus and ensure sustainable food production post the pandemic.
The smallholder and communal farmers’ application process opened on 8 April and closed on 22 April 2020 and 33 000 manual application forms were distributed through our provincial and district offices, commodity and civil society organisations.
“I am pleased to announce that after the closing date, 55 155 applications were received. The Eastern Cape Province received the highest number of applications followed by the Northern Cape and North West.
To date, 15036 applications have been approved valued just over R500 million in favour of smallholder and communal farmers,” said Minister Didiza.
She said the department will finalise its decision on the remaining applications in the next week.
“Of the 15036 approved applications, 5 494 are women, 2 493 youth and 224 people living with disability and males at 9542. Livestock has been the most requested commodity by farmers, followed by vegetables, poultry and fruits. Each of the approved farmers will receive inputs in line with the size of their farming operations up to a maximum of R50 000,” said Minister Didiza.
The Minister added that a further R400 million is being channelled to farmers within the Proactie Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) who were already approved for the department’s Stimulus Package as they had initially been budgeted for in the 2019/2020 financial year.
“It must be noted that an amount of R600 million had to be reprioritised from the Stimulus Package on PLAS farms in the 2019/2020 budget to assist the other smallholder and communal farmers in terms of this Covid-19 intervention,” said Minister Didiza.
The issuance of vouchers to provinces will commence tomorrow, 18 May 2020. The department engaged the services of different suppliers through an open supply chain management (SCM)process to avoid any delay in the delivery of these inputs.
Minister Didiza highlighted that there was a number of lessons learnt from the process, which will require government and the sectors, especially commodity groups working with small-scale and subsistence farmers, to build on. Among others, the department has noted the lack of proper documentation or filing of documents by famers.
“It saddens me that during this process many of them fell by the sideway because they could not provide proof that they are farmers or farming. The registration of farmers on the Producer Farmer Register will enable government to locate farmers so that targeted support can be provided,” commented the Minister.
She urged farmer organisations to assist farmers in formalising their operations, especially insofar as record-keeping is concerned.
The Minister made it clear that monitoring and evaluation of this programme is very important to ensure value for money and food production. Therefore, the department will work with various NGOs and civil society organisations to monitor and evaluate the implementation of this intervention on the ground.
“Through this intervention, we want to ensure that agricultural production continues to ensure food security for the country. Food is being produced at farm level and deliveries are made to wholesalers, retailers, fresh produce markets and other critical distribution points,” said Minister Didiza.
“We urge the food value chain role players to strictly comply and adhere to strict health regulations to contain and arrest the spread of Covid-19 as we strive to supply food to the nation,” concluded Minister Didiza.
-Ends-
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Issued by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
MEC Meth inspects farms’ compliance to the COVID-19 lockdown regulations
MEC Nomakhosazana Meth emphasis the importance of social distancing as a means to curb the spread of COVID-19.
With the agricultural sector declared as an essential service, the MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform has taken a drive to visit commercial farms as well as small-scale farmer’s adherence and compliance to the COVID 19 regulations.
With regulations outlined and published in the amendment to the Disaster Management Act of 2002 that have been put in place as the South African government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, farms are required to comply whilst food production for food security is less affected. These regulations apply to the ways in which farms are expected to operate during the country’s lockdown period.
MEC was happy with the reports from workers confirming compliance by their employers. The report given by workers included the manner in which farm workers were transported and the precautions taken to ensure their health and safety during COVID 19.
MEC Meth said, “The manner in which this farm complies with COVID 19 regulations is impressive. They have appreciated the contribution of masks and sanitizers we have brought as addition from the department”
The MEC further joined workers as they were busy with fruit picking (harvesting).
Technical team assembled to deal with African armyworm outbreak
MEC Nomakhosazana Meth demonstrating the use of the backpack sprayers.
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.
The department responsible for sustainable food production recently distributed insecticides to farmers in Fairban Village in Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality under the Amatole District. The insecticides were accompanied by backpack and boom sprayers mounted to three tractors to fumigate a farmland of more than 400 hectares. 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.
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.
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.
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.
She said in spite of the novel coronavirus 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 African 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.
She also encouraged farmers to report any cases of the worm so it can be attended to before it spirals out of control.
COVID-19
During her visit in Fairban Village, Meth also seized the moment to educate locals about the coronavirus. She visited two bereaved families who are scheduled to hold funeral services this month where she distributed hand sanitizers and also sensitized the mourners on how the virus was spread and how they could best curb the spread of the virus.
In Chris Hani District to primarily “Keep Ears of the department to the Ground as we prepare for the review of the 5 year strategy.
This session, like others which have taken place and those to be convened is really about giving an opportunity to our people to contribute on the kind of department we should become for the next 5 years.
We will only consolidate the views of our stakeholders and people of the Eastern Cape when we convene the strategic planning, as opposed to elevating ourselves and plan for the people in their total exclusion. We will give feedback post the consolidation process (strategic planning) to all our people.
