NCOP to tackle nut farm project funding

The successful Ncera Macadamia Nut Farming project is being hampered by an erratic funding model; this is what confronted a National Council of Provinces committee during a visit to the farm.

Ncera Macadamia Farming chairman Joe Jongolo told the National Assembly’s NCOP Economic Development committee that the project which employs 150 people had suffered setbacks due to the erratic nature of receiving funds from government departments such as the .

“A n orchard of 300 hectares can do it in four years if you get the right funding at the right time at the right place with us it hasn’t been that traditionally. We got erratic funding that was not meeting our budgetary projections. That created a situation where it took us longer (to produce),” said Jongolo. He said the project had been delayed by 10 years due to the unreliability of receiving funds.

Committee chairman Mandla Rhayi said they would take Jongolo’s cry to parliament where they would try to find a solution. “What we are going to do is to compile a report with recommendations. These reports will seek to address the issues that have been raised including the erratic funding,” he said.

  The committee’s site visit is part of the NCOP and the Eastern Cape Legislature’s “Taking Parliament and Legislature to the People” programme.

 The two legislative arms are at the Abbotsford Christian Centre till Friday where President Jacob Zuma will deliver his annual NCOP address.

 The committee was set to go on a site visit to the East London Industrial Development Zone but postponed to Thursday.