Hon
Speaker, in line with our delegated responsibility to accelerate the Land Reform programme, our government remains
committed to pursuing this programme without disrupting agricultural production. In this regard, our focus will be to ensure the effective coordination of integrated farmer support interventions, including small- scale farmer linkages to market value chains.
In the course of the implementation of this programme, we are mindful of the challenges faced by farmers related to drought, which is exacerbated by climate change, as well as rising input costs that impact negatively on agricultural production, resulting in job losses and closure of agricultural enterprises.
As government, we will not allow our agricultural sector to collapse because farmers are the lifeblood of our economy. That is why as part of our response to these challenges we have set aside a package of financial assistance to affected farmers in various provinces.
I am advised by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development that various provinces were assisted with drought relief funding. In this regard, the Free State, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces are among provinces
that received drought relief funding during the last quarter of the 2018-19 financial year.
This does not amount to agricultural subsidies, but our efforts as government to alleviate the negative impact that this drought may have had on our farmers and the sustainability of the small enterprises in those provinces.
Allow me to briefly enumerate some of the funding allocated and disbursed to all approved provinces. Funds were disbursed from the then national Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to various provinces for implementation of projects according to their needs assessments.
In this regard: R20 million was allocated to the Eastern Cape; R13,5 million was allocated to the Free State; R43 million was allocated to the Northern Cape; R10 million was allocated to Limpopo; R10 million was allocated to Mpumalanga; R170 million was allocated to the Western Cape.
Both, the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape Departments of Agriculture provided fodder to the affected farmers, while the Free State Department of Agriculture is currently providing
relief in terms of water infrastructure projects, including boreholes and desalting of dams. The main focus was on subsistence and small holder farmers; however, in provinces like the Western Cape and the Northern Cape, all categories of farmers benefitted in the affected municipalities.
Fodder and water infrastructure were used to support affected livestock in terms of feeding and drinking water. Some farmers have both livestock and crop and would use the water for irrigation as well. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development in collaboration with the provincial Departments of Agriculture also continuously provide dissemination of early warning information, awareness and drought coping mechanisms/strategies. Provinces are also putting measures in place to assist affected these farmers.
In terms of the processes in cases of drought, municipal and district agricultural offices guide farmers in terms of legislated processes relating to support as outlined in the Disaster Management Act, 2002. This Act stipulates that provinces and municipalities must set aside a percentage or reprioritise their budgets to address the disaster in terms of relief and recovery.
When this percentage has been exhausted, the province or the municipality concerned may access funds from the National Revenue Fund, which is managed by National Treasury through the National Disaster Management Centre housed at the Department Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, to deal with all disaster matters. Thank you very much.
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