LIMPOPO – According to the municipality the project was establishment in Groblersdal within Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality (EMLM).
Stanley Ramaila, SDM Mayor, said the development would focus on acquiring skills for young farmers around the district.
“We are pleased to report that meaningful progress has been made regarding the establishment of the first Agri-Park in our district. So far, the 40 hectares of Portion 39 of Klipbank Farm in Groblersdal is ready to be developed for this purpose,” Ramaila said.
Ramaila added that the programme would also be spreading to other local municipalities with the aim of benefiting a broader number of farmers.
“To put concrete expression to this programme, two sites have been identified at Vleeschboom and Praktiseer in Makhuduthamaga and Fetakgomo-Tubatse local municipalities respectively, for establishment of Farmer Production Support Units. These areas are also ready for the programme,” he said.
The mayor further said that currently, the Department of Agriculture was constructing a Farmer Production Support Unit (FPSU) to assist farmers around the Vleeschboom area with facilities including storage, packing areas, washing and sorting as well as a mechanisation centre to the value of R29 million. He informed the project would be completed in September 2019 and that since the Agri-Park’s inception, farmers were mobilised and supported for increased production mostly in grains, poultry and horticulture.
“The support will continue in the 2019/20 financial year and it is anticipated that farmer enterprise support of around R8 million will be provided. I am also elated to report that here in our district the youth skills development under the National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC), has since 2016/17 to date absorbed and trained 127 youth, aged between 18 and 25 years,” said Ramaila.
Ramaila added that they were focusing on various agricultural and non-agricultural skills that would give support to the Agri-Park programmes.
“Another intake of 45 youth in the district is planned for the 2018/19 and 2019/20 financial year. The skills development of youth will in the long run sustain the Agri-Park programme and its objective of transforming the district rural economy, which will benefit many,” concluded Ramaila.
