The Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) and commodity partners met to renew their Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) for another five years. This sets the platform for commodity organisations to continue to support new farmers with advice, mentorship, training, inputs, market access, and mutual in-kind contributions.
Agreements were signed with the National Wool Growers Association (NWGA), Deciduous Fruit Producers Trust (DFPT), SA Wines, South African Table Grape Industry (SATI), South African Poultry Association (SAPA), Potatoes SA, Raisins SA, Grain South Africa, Berries SA, Citrus Growers Association, South African Pork Producers Association, Red Meat Producers Association, and Rooibos Producers Association.
Commenting on the signing of the MoUs, Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, Dr Ivan Meyer, emphasised the crucial role of these agreements. He said that the WCDoA recognises strategic partnerships as the key to addressing the agricultural sector’s complex challenges, and these MoUs are a testament to that.
Dr Meyer said, “The department has developed and nurtured strategic partnerships over several years. These partnerships complement our work and enhance the impact of our service delivery initiatives. One such initiative is the Commodity Approach, which has been an enormous success for over a decade.
According to Dr Mogale Sebopetsa, Head of the WCDoA, the partnership with commodity organisations aims to promote capacity-building, mentorship, market access and resource mobilisation to support the commercialisation of new farmers in the Western Cape.
Dr Sebopetsa added, “The commodities also have the liberty to participate in the Commodity Project Allocation Committees (CPACs), which are crucial in the appraisal of farmer applications processed and oversight thereof, evaluating and overseeing farmer applications processed. With the commodity approach, the department can augment its resources by leveraging the industry’s expertise, financial resources, and other assets, thus improving our service delivery to farmers.”
Partners acknowledged the value of the commodity approach in advancing the transformation agenda and supporting the producers’ progress towards commercialisation.
One such partner, Mariette Kotzé, Group Operations Manager at Hortgro, said, “This partnership has been around since 2009. The impact has been immeasurable. It is about making a difference. But it is also about creating an enabling environment for our growers.”
Mecia Petersen, CEO of the South African Table Grapes Industry, which provides almost 100,000 employment positions worth R3.78 billion per annum, stressed the role of collaboration in unlocking value for the sector. She said, “Our sector has enormous potential to create many more jobs. Our ability to do so becomes easier with a reliable partner such as the Western Cape Government. This is aptly demonstrated through the Western Cape Government’s role in improving operations at the Port of Cape Town and today’s formal commitment to support the agriculture sector, which the government takes very seriously”.
“The MoUs solidify our joint commitment to transform the agricultural sector, grow the economy and create jobs”, concluded Minister Meyer.
