Eastern Cape to spend billions on stimulating food production for the people

Government-supported live-stock,grain andfruitgrowing programmes including stimulating theinternal market by spending billions on purchasing food for schoolchildren, patientsand the needy will receive a round of applause from farmers and produce aggregators.

Finance MECMlungisi Mvoko,in his budget speech,said theprovince neededtoharness itsrichagriculturalresource.

Programmes were being put in place toprovidenutritious foodforthepeopleofthe provinceandforagricultural enterpriseto becommerciallysuccessful.

He saidthe governmentwould be linkingits agriculturalprogrammeto providing food for school nutrition, hospitalpatientsand foodparcelsforthe needy.

He announcedthat thegovernment was investing R5.1bn in the school nutritionprogramme, R483.8mforpatient food and R16.4m for food parcels.

It will be implemented in the new financial year,and successfulimplementation will go a long way in addressing thechallengeof foodsecurityandjob creation.

Thehealth departmentisal-ready engaging its procurementprocesses to give effect tothis plan. These areour effortstoachieve foodsecurity,usingour own resources.

Wenolongerwant toseeourfunds spentongeneral retailwithnotmuch trace in the provincein terms of economic benefit.

The sixth term of government administrationhas madeinvestmentsto the valueof R799min thepast three yearstosupportgrain, redmeatandcitrus producers, led by the department of rural development & agrarian reform.

Weareallocating R237.7mfor202324 and R2.3bn over the medium term to [the department]to continuewith this support.