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MBABANE- Top Two Security Services has been enlisted as the best-evaluated tenderer.

To be awarded the National Agricultural Marketing Board (NAMBoard) security tender. This was revealed by the Eswatini Public Procurement Regulatory Agency (ESPPRA) on their website. The intention to award the company was published on Monday, and they are expected to begin executing it after a period of 10 working days, should it not be contested. According to the regulator, NAMBoard was looking for a company to provide security services for their property. The proposed contract price was E1 192 320 per annum. NAMBoard was the procuring entity for the tender, which was approved by the authority of the board. NAMBoard requested the unsuccessful bidder to submit an application for review with the agency within 10 working days.

“All tenderers who submitted bids are hereby notified that a period of 10 working days is hereby allowed for submission of any application for review,” said NAMBoard.

The agency also mentioned that the tender does not constitute a contract.

It is worth noting that farmers who have been contracted by the National Agricultural Marketing Board (NAMBoard) have a target of 100 metric tonnes (MT) in the first quarter.

NAMBoard has engaged and programmed 146 farmers according to their region to grow vegetables for the market, with a total area planted of 66 hectares (Ha) in the quarter (January–June).

This was mentioned by the Minister of Agriculture, Jabulani Mabuza, in the ministry’s first quarter performance report.

Production

Mabuza said the objective was to achieve production growth of nine conventional vegetables from 3650 metric tonnes in 2020–21 to 14400 metric tonnes in 2024–25. “We ensured that farmers were advised to plant the correct crop, volume and segmentation of farmers by geological location and commercialization potential were carried,” he said. The minister also mentioned that 273 MT of vegetables were procured by Encabaneni Market from 146 local farmers.

When asked if the utilisation of local farmers has contributed to increased productivity, the minister said that, relative to the 100 MT of vegetable production targeted for the quarter, local production declined during this