The Eastern Cape government will go the extra mile to ensure funding for communities which show initiative and drive rather than those who rely on handouts and moan about poverty and unemployment.
An example of this, said Eastern Cape finance MEC Sakhumzi Somyo, was the the Matyeni agricultural cooperative at KwaBhaca (formerly Mount Frere).
The group has planted 300 hectares of maize and vegetables on their own, a project they started in 2012.
Somyo was speaking at the launch of the Matyeni milling plant on Friday where the department through the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) put R500 000 towards buying milling and shelling machines for processing maize into mealie meal.
The money formed part of R4-million the ECDC last year disbursed to eight cooperatives, seven of which are potato producers based in OR Tambo.
The Matyeni agricultural cooperative is the only one which has a major focus on maize production in the Alfred Nzo district.
“This is a very exciting and exemplary organic production by our own communities, something which we must encourage and must be spread across the province in order for communities to do things themselves,” said Somyo.
“This community has been doing this for years and government has come to improve their quality and quantities of what they have been producing.”
Somyo said the people needed jobs; the unemployment figures would be lower when taking into account people involved in cooperatives.
Matyeni agricultural cooperative chairman Walaza Mazule said since 2012 they had grown in leaps and bounds.
“We have now ploughed 300 hectares of maize and aim to plough 700 hectares in the future. The ECDC funding will make a huge difference in the co-operative,” he said.
Somyo said government would also provide a facility to store machinery.
The ECDC has since 2009 disbursed R80.7-million to 153 co-operatives in the Eastern Cape through its Imvaba co-operatives fund, mainly to enterprises in the agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors.
Speaking at the OR Tambo farmers day and potato production programme launch in Mthatha on Thursday, acting Imvaba cooperative fund manager Simphiwe Ntshweni said of the R80.7-million, R3.3-million had been spent on seven potato producing cooperatives in the district last year alone and had been used to buy fertiliser, seeds and pesticides.
The seven cooperatives have planted 26 hectares of potatoes in this their first season with an initial yield of 1500 10kg of bags of potatoes per hectare at harvest.
The ECDC has a joint partnership with Potato South Africa, and Kei fresh produce market (KFPM) to assist the potato co-operatives.
“The KFPM provided a market for the products of the potato producing co-operatives while linking them with distribution channels for their products.
“Potato South Africa and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) came on board to offer skills, training, mentoring and technical support to improve the competitiveness of the cooperatives so that they are able to compete with their commercial counterparts,” said Ntshweni.
Nonkululeko Mtintweni, chairwoman of the Ngethemba agricultural primary cooperative in Mhlanganisweni village in Libode, said the potato producing initiative had given them an opportunity to improve their income, quality of their produce and to grow access markets.
“So far we were able to use four hectares of our land to cultivate potatoes.
“The funding from ECDC helped us a lot and another benefit has been that we are now known in many places as it has boosted our profile.”
She said they employed 11 seasonal workers.
KFPM acting operations and marketing manager Melinkqubo Ndabokutya said potatoes were the number one selling product in the OR Tambo district and were easily cultivated.
However, the product was largely “imported” from outside the borders of the district and province. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za
Praise, cash for KwaBhaca farmers
An example of this, said Eastern Cape finance MEC Sakhumzi Somyo, was the the Matyeni agricultural cooperative at KwaBhaca (formerly Mount Frere).
The group has planted 300 hectares of maize and vegetables on their own, a project they started in 2012.
Somyo was speaking at the launch of the Matyeni milling plant on Friday where the department through the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) put R500 000 towards buying milling and shelling machines for processing maize into mealie meal.
The money formed part of R4-million the ECDC last year disbursed to eight cooperatives, seven of which are potato producers based in OR Tambo.
The Matyeni agricultural cooperative is the only one which has a major focus on maize production in the Alfred Nzo district.
“This is a very exciting and exemplary organic production by our own communities, something which we must encourage and must be spread across the province in order for communities to do things themselves,” said Somyo.
“This community has been doing this for years and government has come to improve their quality and quantities of what they have been producing.”
Somyo said the people needed jobs; the unemployment figures would be lower when taking into account people involved in cooperatives.
Matyeni agricultural cooperative chairman Walaza Mazule said since 2012 they had grown in leaps and bounds.
“We have now ploughed 300 hectares of maize and aim to plough 700 hectares in the future. The ECDC funding will make a huge difference in the co-operative,” he said.
Somyo said government would also provide a facility to store machinery.
The ECDC has since 2009 disbursed R80.7-million to 153 co-operatives in the Eastern Cape through its Imvaba co-operatives fund, mainly to enterprises in the agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors.
Speaking at the OR Tambo farmers day and potato production programme launch in Mthatha on Thursday, acting Imvaba cooperative fund manager Simphiwe Ntshweni said of the R80.7-million, R3.3-million had been spent on seven potato producing cooperatives in the district last year alone and had been used to buy fertiliser, seeds and pesticides.
The seven cooperatives have planted 26 hectares of potatoes in this their first season with an initial yield of 1500 10kg of bags of potatoes per hectare at harvest.
The ECDC has a joint partnership with Potato South Africa, and Kei fresh produce market (KFPM) to assist the potato co-operatives.
“The KFPM provided a market for the products of the potato producing co-operatives while linking them with distribution channels for their products.
“Potato South Africa and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) came on board to offer skills, training, mentoring and technical support to improve the competitiveness of the cooperatives so that they are able to compete with their commercial counterparts,” said Ntshweni.
Nonkululeko Mtintweni, chairwoman of the Ngethemba agricultural primary cooperative in Mhlanganisweni village in Libode, said the potato producing initiative had given them an opportunity to improve their income, quality of their produce and to grow access markets.
“So far we were able to use four hectares of our land to cultivate potatoes.
“The funding from ECDC helped us a lot and another benefit has been that we are now known in many places as it has boosted our profile.”
She said they employed 11 seasonal workers.
KFPM acting operations and marketing manager Melinkqubo Ndabokutya said potatoes were the number one selling product in the OR Tambo district and were easily cultivated.
However, the product was largely “imported” from outside the borders of the district and province. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za
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