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Official hand over of Compensation to Whittlesea Community
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Agriculture

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 EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
 SPEECH DELIVERED BY  MEC FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS, MR. MAX MAMASE AT OFFICIAL HANDOVER OF COMPENSATION TO WHITTLESEA COMMUNITY 
HELD AT THE SHILOH IRRIGATION SCHEME
 ON  4 MAY 1999

Chairperson
 Distinguished guests
 Officials from the department
 Farmers
 Ladies and Gentleman

The process of globalisation, both in third world and developing economies, continue to struggle to be regarded as equal participants and 
enjoy equal benefits of the internationalisation process.

These economies concentrate predominantly on Cash crops, which are subject to price fluctuations. They heavily rely on export markets. Our 
own Eastern Cape subsistence agriculture is not an exception to this phenomenon.

Chairperson, it is against this background that as the government of the Eastern Cape we advocate transformation of subsistence agriculture 
to a combination of high productive commercial system with continuities of animal traction above subsistence level with a view to producing 
industrial crops.

LAND CARE

Of concern to us as government is the poor relationship between communities and the environment, which results to high level of 
environmental degradation and concomitant soil erosion. This province cannot afford this reckless relationship and therefore suggest to 
farmers, that time has come for us to agree that: -
* Land invasions and deforestation must immediately come to an end.
* That the land use division in the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs must of necessity implement the Land Development Objectives 
together with Housing & Local Government.
* That rural planning for land use must resume as speedily as is possible.

* That communities faced with social pressures and requiring expansion, must submit formal proposals for planning purposes to Land Use 
Planning – Department of Agriculture.

Chairperson, the state and communities must speedily resolve issues around environmental protection so that the remaining arable land is 
conserved for agricultural development.

I urge you to take the Land Care Programme seriously. This programme is intended to raise awareness of our communities on the importance of 
preserving the remaining land we have.

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM

We are fortunate as a province to have a scientific study completed on the different soil types we have in the province. The Geographic 
Information System which was officially made public during its launch recently at Dohne is able to give us information on marginal land on 
the one hand and land with high agricultural potential.

We can now provide information to farmers as to what types of crops can be suitable in a particular area based on rainfall pattern and its 
soil type.

TRANSFORMATION

Chairperson, It is my honest observation that movement away from subsistence farming has the following implications: -

* It means that mechanisation and technology must become a reality.
* Mechanisation implies that the current agricultural production methods will have to be reduced drastically.
* This also implies that funding and inputs become central in our approach.
* It also means that you commence with a bank account resulting from a loan from either the Empowerment Fund, Agricultural Bank, Land Bank 
or Post offices.

CO_OPERATIVES

The department encourages the formation of economically viable co-operatives.

These co-operatives should be voluntary associations characterised by democratic principles. In order to secure international markets they 
should be governed by principles of effectiveness and efficiency.

Financial institutions like the Land bank find it easier to finance co-operatives hence they have recently reported that 58% percent of 
their clients are co-operatives.

They should assist in the financing of agricultural development programmes on condition that is has applied and approved to fulfil this 
responsibility.

&#145;AGRICULTURE IS BUSINESS’

Development and transformation of subsistence agriculture must be accompanied by an entrepreneurial development programme geared towards 
training farmers for all forms of production. This must be a hands on arrangement and this training should be sustained through a long-term 
programme. We take farmer training very seriously hence we have set aside an amount of R400 000.00 for farmer training.

Land Matters

It is argued that the state must not own land but it should be sold to individual farmers.

This province argues, that whilst this is correct, people who are in of need of farms require funding and experience has demonstrated 
abundantly clear in the short and medium terms that this can be disastrous in the future land requirements of our province. We argue 
therefore that in our opinion the introduction of the Community Property Association as required in terms of the Land Policy is the best 
route under the set of circumstances prevailing now.

We therefore plead with you that in the communal areas, these land structures must be established to assist farmers in entering into 
business deals with the private sector.

Processing and Marketing

The new democratic dispensation in our country has thrown market gates wide open.

On the one hand these markets are monopolised through the process of capitalist internationalisation. We need therefore to penetrate new 
market horizons so that agricultural products of quality nature can reach new destinations.

Chairperson, we can only succeed in doing this if we process all our raw material here and market them as finished products.

In farming Chairperson, goat cheese, pyrethrum and Cash mear are new international demands.

Our province has a potential for crops like olives, paprika, herbs, spices, oil seeds, fibre crops, specialist vegetable crops like 
artichokes, aromatic and medicinal plants and other crops which have a high return from intensely worked small areas of land. As farmers 
you must continue exchanging information on the new farming trends.

WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE

I urge farmer’s associations from village level to ensure that they involve women in their formations and give them an opportunity to play 
a meaningful role in the rehabilitation of agriculture in this province.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion Chairperson, the doors of the Ministry or Agriculture are wide open let’s continue discussing our progress, weaknesses and 
concerns.

I pledge to support emerging farmers, as long as they continue to have problems of agricultural nature.

I urge you to use this money on agricultural development initiatives and this department will assist you in all forms.

I Thank you !!!

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