Agriculture faces tough task with small budget

A request for additional funding of R54 million for drought rehabilitation projects in the 2016/17 financial year has been submitted to the National Disaster Management Centre by Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Joy Matshoge.
Matshoge tabled the department’s budget before the Legislature last week and said the mammoth task of doing more with less is made even more difficult because of the drought and unfavourable economic climate.
The department has been allocated R1,783 billion for the 2016\17 financial year, an increase of little over 7% from R1,651 billion in 2015/16. The bulk of the budget is equitable share at R1,444 billion and R339 million constitutes conditional grants.
Administration will be allocated R363 023 000, sustainable resource management R91 826 000, farmer support and development R1 060 029 000, veterinary services R58 782 000, research and technology development services R63 464 000, agricultural economics services R24 444 000, structured agricultural education and training R114 907 000 and rural development coordination R6 437 000.
More money will be spent on the structured agricultural education and training programme and the budget has increased from R94 million to R115 million in 2016/17 in anticipation of the number of students expected to grow and corresponding infrastructural requirements.
Matshoge announced that Limpopo was one of the three provinces chosen to host Japanese experts on a Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment Programme (Shep). “This is a three year programme of exchange of knowledge and skills. One expert will be based at the department.”
Matshoge said following the re-opening of the lodgement of land claims by people who missed the 31 December 1998 deadline, the number of claims, as at 21 January, stood at 8 819 claims. The lodgement of land claims shall take place over a period of five years, ending on 30 June 2019.

Story: NELIE ERASMUS
>>nelie.observer@gmail.com

Photo: Farmers in attendance at the budget speech of the MEC for Agriculture, Joy Matshoge, are Matome Mokgawa, William Molele and Seun Mathale.