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A partnership between the OR Tambo District Municipality, and its development agency, Ntinga, will see 38 subsistence farmer-projects under the district municipality benefit from a maize cropping project that will see a total of 317 hectares planted.
The maize planting initiative commenced in January this year.
This comes after the district municipality mandated its development agency, Ntinga, to play a central role in agriculture working, with various stakeholders through the District Development Model (DDM).
The district municipality has committed R4.5 million towards the programme.
“This is a good opportunity for subsistence farmers as, through the programme, they are supported with mechanisation and production inputs such as seeds, agro-chemicals including herbicides, pesticides and fertiliser.”
“These tireless strides are made with the intention of supporting emerging farmers and ensuring that their harvest is of good quality. In addition, this is one of our strategies of enhancing primary agriculture and agro-processing value chains,” said OR Tambo Development Agency public relations officer Siphosethu Tikana.sProjects that are part of the programme are constituted in groups, to maximize beneficiation and ensure food security across the district.
All the participating projects are further required to have a minimum of five and maximum of 40 hectares for each project.
Programme beneficiary and emerging farmer, Fezile Mazikwana, from Mhlontlo Local Municipality, hailed the programme as a great initiative while being adamant of a good yield despite delays in planting due to heavy rains.
“Irrespective of the challenges we are facing this season, we are expecting a good harvest.
“We have all the production inputs we need, and we appreciate our government for ensuring that everything is in place,” said Mazikwana.
Ntinga says the initiative will contribute towards improving food security, as well as promoting and accelerating sustainable transformation in the agriculture and agro-processing sectors.
“At the current levels of high unemployment and poverty rates, there can never be any more important and noble government intervention than ensuring food security and job creation, as well as improving the local economy,” concluded Tikana.
