The Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) announced that it would soon hand over 21 tractors to farmers under the OR Tambo District Municipality, to boost agricultural production.
The announcement was made by RDAR MEC Nonkqubela Pieters during an Imbizo held at AmaMpondomise Kingdom’s Upper Kroza Great Place in Qumbu, on September 6.
Pieters said the tractors will assist farmers under the OR Tambo District to move from treating farming as a hobby to operating as a business.
She further donated a fully-equipped tractor with a three-row planter, heavy duty disc, Nguni bull, 10 wheelbarrows and seedlings to AmaMpondomise King Zwelozuko Matiwane and his nation during the Imbizo.
DRDAR said the equipment, made up of six new and 15 refurbished tractors, was but a drop in the ocean compared to the investment the department has made for various programmes during the 2021/2022 financial year.
“The OR Tambo District farming community was assisted with 305 sheep and 55 cattle, at a cost of R3 million and R1.3 million respectively.”
“Farmers under Mhlontlo Local Municipality alone received 121 sheep and 36 cattle, aimed at improving both wool and meat quality from communal sheep and cattle in the area,” said DRDAR spokesperson, Thozi Manyisana.
He further said that 10 shearing sheds were constructed by the department under the Mhlontlo Local Municipality, between 2018 and 2022, at a cost of R10.9 million. Five of these sheds are in Tsolo, while another five are in Qumbu.
Pieters implored department officials to assist farmers with access to markets, particularly those in grain production.
She further decried stock theft, saying that her department wanted to promote livestock branding, adding that the tracking of animals currently being piloted at Dohne Agricultural Development Institute would improve the security of animals in the province.
“Farmers in the province have been complaining about what they term “animal jacking” where criminals take their livestock by force, and those who resist face fatal consequences,” Pieters lamented.
The department also brought services on wheels, including rabies vaccination, African horse sickness vaccination and post-mortem services during the Imbizo.
