Emerging farmers in the Eastern Cape have started to benefit from a provincial government programme aimed at commercialising 100 farms across the province. Eastern Cape agriculture MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe launched the first phase of the campaign in Peddie on Tuesday, with the department donating more than 300 head of cattle to give farmers a headstart. The programme focuses on providing targeted support to farmers involved in red-meat production.
At the launch, the agriculture department also handed over a feedlot to farmers, a practical step in helping them to increase production and move towards commercial farming. “Today’s launch is not only for the Ngqushwa Local Municipality — it’s for the entire province,“ Kontsiwe said. “The goal is to support farmers transitioning from subsistence farming to more commercially viable operations.
“We want to encourage farmers with the feedlot as it’s going to be used to help with beef exports. “The Eastern Cape is producing the best beef in the country, and we want to enhance that. “Now these commercial farmers will become businesspeople and move beyond being emerging farmers,” Kontsiwe said.
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“For farmers to move from subsistence farming to commercial, they are going to be trained so that they meet the international export standards. “And we are going to help them to access finance to enhance whatever profits they want to have.”
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