Date: 30/04/2005
Source: Kwazulu-Natal Provincial Government
Title: Ndebele: Launch of Rice and Mushroom Production Site
Keynote address by KwaZulu-Natal Premier, S’bu Ndebele, at the launch of the Rice and Mushroom Production Site (CEDARA)
His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini
MEC for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, Professor Gabriel Ndabandaba
The Honourable Mayor of Umgungundlovu District Councillor Bongi Mlaba-Sithole
The Honourable Mayor of Msunduzi, Hloni Zondi
Deputy Mayor of Msunduzi, Zanele Hlatshwayo
Consulate General of China, Zhang Lian Yun
Project Team Leader, Professor Lin Zhanxi
Heads of Departments present
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good Morning
Thank you all for being part of this exciting project developed over the seas and right now continuing on our doorstep in KwaZulu-Natal.
It is my pleasure once again to welcome to KwaZulu-Natal Professor Zhanxi Lin of the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University JUNCAO Research Institute. Professor Lin and his team will be working with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs over the next three years to initiate and develop our dry land rice and fungi (mushroom) projects. Professor Lin has an enviable record, both in China and in the developing world, for successfully implementing similar projects which have made a significant impact on reducing poverty and creating genuine wealth within farming communities.
Although I led a KwaZulu-Natal delegation to China last year, which included Professor Gabriel Ndabandaba, MEC for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs and his HOD, Dr Jabulani Mjwara, it is important to acknowledge that His Majesty, King Goodwill Zwelithini, did in fact visit the JUNCAO Research Institute in February 2003.
REVITALISING OUR ECONOMY
It has been clear for some time now that it will take an agrarian revolution to free KwaZulu-Natal from hunger and grinding poverty. Our firsthand exposure to the agricultural miracle in China has convinced me that rice and mushroom production can make a substantial contribution towards revitalising our rural economy and restructuring agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal. Although this project has been initiated with a budget of some R10 million, we do plan to go to scale and make full use of Professor Lin and his dedicated team over the next three years.
Statistics South Africa have recently released their Census on Commercial Agriculture 2002 and reported that the formal agricultural sector generated a gross farming income of approximately R53 billion. KwaZulu-Natal’s contribution was only some R6 billion despite the fact that we are a well watered province with good soils within a country that is classified as semi-arid. The performance of our agricultural sector in KwaZulu-Natal has, over the past several years, been disappointing. Especially disappointing has been the drive to draw subsistence and emerging farmers into the market and commercial farming sector.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs is now fully committed to a people centred development approach that will put emerging farmers more firmly in control of the development of their farming enterprises, including co-operatives, and close the glaring gap between our potential and actual agricultural production.
TARGETING GROWTH FOR FARMERS
Siyavuna Farmers Associations, together with Commodity Associations, are currently being established throughout KwaZulu-Natal. I believe that this new dispensation will bring hope to millions of farmers whose plight and potential to develop has been so ignored in the past. Increasingly the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs is developing new policy frameworks and programmes that specifically target the subsistence and emerging farmer sector with assistance to meet food security needs, to market surplus production and, ultimately, to claim an equitable market share in all agricultural products and their value chains.
BRINGING EQUALITY FOR WOMEN
Our new policy dispensation within the agricultural sector is not gender blind. We know from experience that a gender blind policy, that is interventions that benefit everyone, can easily become gender insensitive because of the imbalances that exist in society. Our new policy dispensation within the agricultural sector will be proactive towards the inclusion of women. To this end I would like to see Zibambele savings clubs prominent in our rice and mushroom initiative. I would like to see Zibambele savings clubs being actively assisted to form food security and market produce co-operatives.
Our new policy dispensation within the agricultural sector will also be proactive towards the inclusion of youth. According to Census 2001 KwaZulu-Natal is the most populous province in South Africa. We have a youthful population with 5 302 702 of our total population of 9 426 017 being under the age of 25 years (56,3%). Indeed, our KwaZulu-Natal youth under the age of 25 are greater in numbers than the entire populations of the Free State (2 706 775), Limpopo (5 273 642), Mpumalanga (3 122 990), Northern Cape (822 727), North West Province (3 669 349) and Western Cape (4 524 335).
The development of women and youth in South Africa is undoubtedly a critical index to measure how far we have progressed in transforming our economy and in developing a more caring society. It is a simple truth that the wellbeing of children in any society is inextricably linked to the status and role of their mothers. In a profound sense then the empowerment of our youth can only be achieved through the empowerment of our women.
In China the reform of the agricultural sector has proved critical to the growth and transformation of their economy. The old adage, “when America sneezes the world catches a cold”, now applies as much to China as it does to America. We have much to learn from our Chinese comrades and I am extremely grateful to Professor Lin and his team for the warm interest they have shown towards assisting us to achieve an agrarian revolution in KwaZulu-Natal. With your help we will eradicate hunger and create new wealth among the poor.
Thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
30 March 2005
Source: Kwazulu-Natal Provincial Government
Title: Ndebele: Launch of Rice and Mushroom Production Site
Keynote address by KwaZulu-Natal Premier, S’bu Ndebele, at the launch of the Rice and Mushroom Production Site (CEDARA)
His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini
MEC for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, Professor Gabriel Ndabandaba
The Honourable Mayor of Umgungundlovu District Councillor Bongi Mlaba-Sithole
The Honourable Mayor of Msunduzi, Hloni Zondi
Deputy Mayor of Msunduzi, Zanele Hlatshwayo
Consulate General of China, Zhang Lian Yun
Project Team Leader, Professor Lin Zhanxi
Heads of Departments present
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good Morning
Thank you all for being part of this exciting project developed over the seas and right now continuing on our doorstep in KwaZulu-Natal.
It is my pleasure once again to welcome to KwaZulu-Natal Professor Zhanxi Lin of the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University JUNCAO Research Institute. Professor Lin and his team will be working with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs over the next three years to initiate and develop our dry land rice and fungi (mushroom) projects. Professor Lin has an enviable record, both in China and in the developing world, for successfully implementing similar projects which have made a significant impact on reducing poverty and creating genuine wealth within farming communities.
Although I led a KwaZulu-Natal delegation to China last year, which included Professor Gabriel Ndabandaba, MEC for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs and his HOD, Dr Jabulani Mjwara, it is important to acknowledge that His Majesty, King Goodwill Zwelithini, did in fact visit the JUNCAO Research Institute in February 2003.
REVITALISING OUR ECONOMY
It has been clear for some time now that it will take an agrarian revolution to free KwaZulu-Natal from hunger and grinding poverty. Our firsthand exposure to the agricultural miracle in China has convinced me that rice and mushroom production can make a substantial contribution towards revitalising our rural economy and restructuring agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal. Although this project has been initiated with a budget of some R10 million, we do plan to go to scale and make full use of Professor Lin and his dedicated team over the next three years.
Statistics South Africa have recently released their Census on Commercial Agriculture 2002 and reported that the formal agricultural sector generated a gross farming income of approximately R53 billion. KwaZulu-Natal’s contribution was only some R6 billion despite the fact that we are a well watered province with good soils within a country that is classified as semi-arid. The performance of our agricultural sector in KwaZulu-Natal has, over the past several years, been disappointing. Especially disappointing has been the drive to draw subsistence and emerging farmers into the market and commercial farming sector.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs is now fully committed to a people centred development approach that will put emerging farmers more firmly in control of the development of their farming enterprises, including co-operatives, and close the glaring gap between our potential and actual agricultural production.
TARGETING GROWTH FOR FARMERS
Siyavuna Farmers Associations, together with Commodity Associations, are currently being established throughout KwaZulu-Natal. I believe that this new dispensation will bring hope to millions of farmers whose plight and potential to develop has been so ignored in the past. Increasingly the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs is developing new policy frameworks and programmes that specifically target the subsistence and emerging farmer sector with assistance to meet food security needs, to market surplus production and, ultimately, to claim an equitable market share in all agricultural products and their value chains.
BRINGING EQUALITY FOR WOMEN
Our new policy dispensation within the agricultural sector is not gender blind. We know from experience that a gender blind policy, that is interventions that benefit everyone, can easily become gender insensitive because of the imbalances that exist in society. Our new policy dispensation within the agricultural sector will be proactive towards the inclusion of women. To this end I would like to see Zibambele savings clubs prominent in our rice and mushroom initiative. I would like to see Zibambele savings clubs being actively assisted to form food security and market produce co-operatives.
Our new policy dispensation within the agricultural sector will also be proactive towards the inclusion of youth. According to Census 2001 KwaZulu-Natal is the most populous province in South Africa. We have a youthful population with 5 302 702 of our total population of 9 426 017 being under the age of 25 years (56,3%). Indeed, our KwaZulu-Natal youth under the age of 25 are greater in numbers than the entire populations of the Free State (2 706 775), Limpopo (5 273 642), Mpumalanga (3 122 990), Northern Cape (822 727), North West Province (3 669 349) and Western Cape (4 524 335).
The development of women and youth in South Africa is undoubtedly a critical index to measure how far we have progressed in transforming our economy and in developing a more caring society. It is a simple truth that the wellbeing of children in any society is inextricably linked to the status and role of their mothers. In a profound sense then the empowerment of our youth can only be achieved through the empowerment of our women.
In China the reform of the agricultural sector has proved critical to the growth and transformation of their economy. The old adage, “when America sneezes the world catches a cold”, now applies as much to China as it does to America. We have much to learn from our Chinese comrades and I am extremely grateful to Professor Lin and his team for the warm interest they have shown towards assisting us to achieve an agrarian revolution in KwaZulu-Natal. With your help we will eradicate hunger and create new wealth among the poor.
Thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
30 March 2005
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