Scores of people from Ugu District Municipality came out in their numbers to witness the provincial launch of the Multi-Planting Season Programme, at Ikhwezi village, which aimed to encourage communities to plant crops and vegetables to boost food security and the provincial economy which has been battered by the Covid-19 pandemic, floods and the 2021 July unrest.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, addressed the people of Ugu and said that the province has the potential to be the bread and basket of the nation, and even the continent, if residents and the government work together to harness its full agricultural potential. “It is important that we put more effort into farming so that we open our own shops where we sell our produce at a price determined by us and not by those who exploit our vulnerability as small-scale farmers. This will ensure food security and chase away hunger from our doorsteps.”
Working with the Department of Social Development, the Premier said that the government aims to encourage local small-scale farmers to produce healthy food products which will cater for the elderly. By so doing, the Premier added, such a business venture will help small-scale farmers to be more productive and sustainable. The Premier also reminded those who attended the Multi-Planting Season Programme launch that the programme echoed the strong views of the departed Zulu Monarch, uZwelithini kaBhekuzulu, who encouraged the nation to invest in the cultivation of the soil.
“The departed King, uMdlokombane, held farming and the cultivation of the soil in high esteem because it enables people to cultivate their own food for sustenance and food security. UBhejane phum’ esiqiwini regarded farming as the gold of the land which was crucial in boosting the economy of the Province and the community coffers. In honour of the departed iSilo, let us continue to keep the home fires burning by tilling and toiling the land,” she said. The Premier concluded her address by urging women and the youth to play a meaningful role in farming to mitigate the impact of hunger in our communities. “It is said that the face of hunger in South Africa is that of a woman because women bear the brunt of the hunger confronting the nation and the world. Women and youth must use farming as a weapon to fight hunger, poverty and inequality. Young people are the future of the nation and farming paves way to a bright future in food security. If we exclude women and youth from farming, we risk facing a bleak future,” said Premier Dube-Ncube.
