Green Jobs

Emerging farmers to showcase products on Nguni Day - 9 May 2008

Morgan Bay – The Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture together with the Great Kei Municipality and local emerging farmers will hold the Nguni Production Day on Friday, to showcase farmers’ products.

The department’s senior Communications Officer, Thozi Manyisana said the event is an initiative of the communal, emerging, Local Rural Agricultural Development (LRAD) and commercial farmers.

Mr Manyisana said that the farmers felt that they were not doing enough to market their municipality in terms of agriculture.

“As a result, they decided to hold the event at Brooklyn farm, in Morgan Bay which is known as one the most successful black Nguni breeder,” he said

With the assistance of the department, he said the farmers will make the day a success.

He said some of these farmers have accessed funds to buy different types of cattle through the department’s livestock improvement scheme in Dohne and the Nguni development scheme.

“These farmers have benefited from extension and advisory services offered by the department in its bid to promote livestock improvement.

“We regard this event as a key to showcase what we are actually doing as a department in terms of improving livestock farming in our province,” said Mr Manyisana.

The area of Great Kei is vast with herd of Nguni. Both the MEC for Agriculture, Gugile Nkwinti and his Head of Department Adv. Amon Nyondo are also expected to attend the event.

In April this year, a community farming project in Kieskamahoek in the province received 10 Simbra breed cows to help assist the disadvantaged community to produce food and income for themselves using livestock.

The Simbra breed cows were handed over to the community farming project by the Department of Agriculture and Heifer-South Africa.

The project, Khwezi langamso, translated as "Tomorrow star", was established in Keiskamahoek by 25 community members, who are mainly youth and women.

In 2006, Heifer-South Africa donated 16 Simbra breed cattle to the project, which consisted of 15 cows and a bull. A Simbra is used to produce milk as well as for their meat.

The herd of cattle in the project has since increased to 26, including 10 calves produced by the cows last year.

The department through its extension and advisory services have been providing training, advises as well as technical support and vet services.

[ By Nthambeleni Gabara - BuaNews ]