Date: 24/02/05
Source: Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: Mosunkutu: Gauteng Media Briefing 2005

Statement by MEC of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, Mr Khabisi Mosunkutu


24 February 2005

It is a pleasure for me to be amongst you today and to further expand on my Department's priorities for the year 2005 presented by Premier Shilowa during the opening of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature on the 21st of February 2005.

It indeed is an honour to stand here to report how we intend, together with our communities, to utilise the state resources allocated to us to further advance our people's aspirations to combat poverty, create jobs and to contribute towards sustainable economic development.

Comprehensive Household Food Security
Addressing the Legislature, Premier Shilowa briefly reported that by the end of March this year, 6 500 had benefited from our homestead food gardens project and that, through 80 new projects we are targeting 9 000 beneficiaries. Indeed, we shall, upscale our community food garden projects.

To fight poverty and help build sustainable communities through our agricultural reforms and development programmes, we budgeted an amount of R38.644 million for the 2005/2006 financial year.

From this budget and additional to the ongoing maintenance of the 117 established community food gardens, 32 more similar projects will be established within the next 12 months. A total of R16.742 m has been budgeted, for the 2005/2006 financial year for our Comprehensive Household Food Security programme.

In relation to the commitment to fight poverty and create jobs including through urban agriculture, I must acknowledge the principle stance recently adopted by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Council to support productive usage of commonage. We intend to persuade other municipalities to adopt a similar position. With this principle in place, the exciting concept of community food gardens is likely to mushroom, reducing the levels of poverty in its aftermath.

Agriculture
Not unrelated to the household food security projects, of the R4.85 m under the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme run by the National Department of Agriculture, R2.6 m has already been allocated towards agricultural infrastructure development and 145 farmers have already benefited from this allocation and the R25,000 interest free loan coordinated with the Land Bank.

In this specific programme, qualifying farmers are able to obtain up to R10 000 for infrastructure development and this may be complemented by the interest-free loans. A further amount of R6,310 m has also been set aside for the Provincial Farmer Settlement Programme
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