MBOMBELA – This was spelled out by the MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs (DARDLEA), Vusi Shongwe this week when he donated face masks to the farmers.
I’m reasonably happy about the responses I got from the sponsors and the farmers and everyone else. I can’t say I’m 100 percent, but at least a majority of the farm owners and workers are complying with the required regulations.
“I must add that the Covid-19 pandemic, no one in the world, South Africa and Mpumalanga, in particular, knew that we would be undergoing this, in the first place. So, collectively, the farming community were not using masks before this pandemic, so farm owners, dwellers have challenges here and there, but immediately the arrival of this pandemic, they readjusted and complied.
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“We are assisting all farm owners and dwellers and all categories,” he said.
How has food production is adequately been sustained, going forward?
“I’ve seen through the efforts of fusing commercial farmers and small scale farmers to work together, it’s clear we will put agriculture in the province where it belongs. Agriculture evolves every challenge of government. If you talk of poverty, we are able to address that; if you talk of unemployment, we address it; if you talk of crime, we are able to provide employment and address that.
“Food security in the province is positive. They are working tirelessly to ensuring that there is continuous food security. We are a department that doesn’t believe in food parcels, but the production of food in your own backyard. You’re not expected to buy tomatoes when you can grow that yourself.
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“As a department, we also assist you with seedlings, fertilisers and knowledge through our extension officers who assist individual farmers. They also go to an extent of testing your ground what it is compatible of growing, too,” he added.
Covid-19 exposed poverty cases and the number increased, what have you done to that effect?
“My department, through the head of the department, has embarked on that programme of addressing it from district to district. They start pilot projects with 10 homesteads to entice the entire community. We also utilise tribal land for the progression of agriculture throughout the province. All these food parcels you see being distributed, contain vegetables. We play a very important role in the eradication of poverty,” he concluded.
