The Northern Cape will immediately start applying its latest R26-million drought relief scheme, agriculture MEC Tina Joemat-Pettersson said on Wednesday.
”The funds would mainly be used for the purchasing of fodder, fodder transportation and drilling of boreholes to allow commercial and communal farmers to maintain their flock.”
Speaking in Kimberley Joemat-Pettersson said over 2840 communal and commercial farmers have registered for the scheme, that will run until the end of March 2005.
”The money comes from the national Department of Agriculture and is an attempt to abate the prevailing drought mainly in the municipal districts of Kgalagadi, Siyanda and Namaqua,” Joemat-Pettersson said.
She said several towns and rural areas had been declared drought stricken areas.
These include Williston, Fraserburg, Sutherland, Kenhardt, Calvinia, Upington, Richtersveld and all farms north of Kuruman.
Joemat-Pettersson said the latest scheme required emerging farmers to make a contribution of 10% towards the purchase of fodder for less than 30 livestock units.
This is considerably less than the 25% contribution expected under the province’s 2003/04 relief scheme.
”We are considering reducing emerging farmers contribution further to sustain the province’s land reform programme,” she said.
Joemat-Pettersson said approval for the scheme came after a series of assessment exercises conducted by officials from both the national and provincial agriculture departments.
”This was done in consultation with the affected farmers, farmers unions and other stakeholders over a period of three months.”
Northern Cape agriculture department spokesperson Thabo Mothibi said during the 2003/04 relief scheme, in which R46-million was spent, debt of R4,6-million was created due to a system error.
He said this amount would now be settled from the current allocation of R26-million.
Johan van Rensburg, chief executive officer for the commercial farmers body Agri-Northern Cape, welcomed the relief on Wednesday.
Joemat-Pettersson said further means of drought relief was being investigated.
”This scheme runs to the end of the 2004/05 financial year. We hope that the minister of finance would help us more in the new financial year,” Joemat-Pettersson said. – Sapa