GOOD RAINS, PHEZU KOMKHONO! – MINISTER

MBABANE – “We have to consume what we produce.”

This averment was made by Minister of Agriculture Jabulani Mabuza yesterday during a press conference where he encouraged local farmers to plough since the country had received rains in the past weeks, which had resulted in a positive change in vegetation countrywide.

Mabuza said the rains were blowing the trumpet that signalled the beginning of the ploughing season towards local farmers.

Grateful

“We are grateful to God for giving us blessings in the form of rainfall. Beyond allowing us to start ploughing, the rains have brought about a positive change in the vegetation and we are excited at the prospect of what promises to be a good season ahead,” he mentioned. 

He said the livestock, especially cattle, goats and sheep, would be well-nourished upon grazing on the nutritious grass which was growing rapidly and highlighted that livestock producers were reminded to maintain reasonable stocks and practise rotational grazing to allow recovery of the pastures.

Furthermore, he noted that the Ministry of Agriculture was already geared up for the 2020/2021 farming season as the seasonal rainfall forecasts indicated that the country and the southern Africa region as a whole would receive good rains that were expected to sustain crops to give out optimum yields. 

He further said the COVID-19 pandemic had taught people to strive to be self-sufficient as he mentioned that as a country, consuming what was produced locally was pivotal. 

He said the ministry’s key message to farmers was to encourage them to take advantage of every opportunity that was being presented and urged them to maximise the utilisation of the resources at their disposal to engage in agricultural production. 

“This is the time for farmers to start serious preparations and get busy in their fields. Farmers are encouraged to make use of the extension services at their disposal to be able to choose varieties that are suitable for their areas.

“We are saying phezu komkhono!” Mabuza also said his ministry was grateful to government for continuing to provide the farm inputs subsidy and the tractor hire services which had resulted in significant increases in yields over the past few seasons, especially in the Highveld and moist Middleveld region. 

He further said in recognition of the shock that had been presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country and globally, the charges remained unchanged. He stated that the National Maize Corporation (NMC), a parastatal under his ministry, was given the responsibility to run these interventions, as they had already made the necessary announcements for farmers to follow in order to benefit from these programmes. 

He said he had been assured by NMC that tractors were ready for the ploughing season and farmers could now redeem the tractor hours for which they had previously paid. 

Payments

He added that farmers were further implored to make payments on time and adhere to the deadline which would be on October 31, 2020, to avoid missing out on the subsidised inputs.

He further took the opportunity to wish farmers a fruitful ploughing season and reminded them that the ministry was always at their service to provide technical advice and services that they required as they engaged in production. 

“Our decentralised Rural Development Areas (RDAs) and training centres are ready to assist and farmers are encouraged to use digital platforms like WhatsApp for ease of communication and adherence to the COVID-19 regulations.”

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