District municipality to drive Agri Parks
These districts include iLembe, uMkhanyakude, Zululand, uThukela, uMzinyathi, Amajuba and King Cetshwayo municipalities, mandated to promote youth and women stakeholder involvement, as well as identifying deserving beneficiaries of the '1 household 1 hectare and 1 household 2 dairy cows' programmes
KING Cetshwayo District is among seven district municipalities announced as ‘champions of Agri Parks’ by the Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, Candith Mashego-Dlamini, last Thursday night.
These districts include iLembe, uMkhanyakude, Zululand, uThukela, uMzinyathi, Amajuba and King Cetshwayo municipalities, mandated to promote youth and women stakeholder involvement, as well as identifying deserving beneficiaries of the ‘1 household 1 hectare and 1 household 2 dairy cows’ programmes.
Mashego-Dlamini instructed all district politicians and traditional leaders to ensure that all three spheres of government work together in implementing rural development programmes at both district and local level.
The first meeting was held at the Umfolozi Casino Resort in Empangeni last Thursday night, and a second meeting in Newcastle on Friday.
The meetings were also attended by the KZN MEC for Agriculture and Rural development, Themba Mthembu.
‘The main aim of these visits is to encourage and seek support from KwaZulu-Natal district leaders to streamline the implementation of rural development and poverty eradication programmes in the province,’ said Mashego-Dlamini.
She said 80% of land in South Africa is zoned as rural in which 38% of the South African population reside.
‘Our department is responsible for coordinating outcome seven of the National Development Plan (NDP), which requires that government takes 400 000 rural people out of poverty every year.’
‘Through the Farmer Production Support Unit (FPSU) and Agri Hubs (AH) centres set up in various district locations, the Agri Parks programme provides assistance to small scale farmers.
‘These centers provide support in the form of mechanisation support, local storage, provision of market information on commodity prices, agri-processing, logistics and enterprise development, among others,’said Mashego-Dlamini.
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