Small scale farmers in Saldanha on the Cape West Coast say the support they receive from government will go a long way in supporting their ambitions to become commercial farmers.
Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza has handed a vehicle and office space over to the Thembelihle Small Scale Farmers’ Co-op. Chairperson of the Co-op, Gerrit de Bruyn, says they are battling with irrigation infrastructure, agricultural land and stock theft.
De Bryun says, “The big challenge is grazing land, we don’t have enough grazing land, we lease 112 hectares from the municipality, our 112 hectares is close to the community the land is not fenced, the municipality did not fence the land where we farms, so the biggest challenge is to control the animals within the boundary of the 112, the big thing is we grow very fast and quick.”
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