14 farmers sell maize to Vietnam

Fourteen farmers from the Eastern Cape are exporting more than 3,000 tons of maize to Vietnam.

They are in a programme formed by a collaboration between the Grain Farmer Development Association and the Eastern Cape department of rural development and agrarian reform.

On Thursday farmers Andile Ndzunga, Mxolisi Mlandu, Teboho Mongoato and Tefelo Mohapi, all from Matatiele, were part of a delegation that witnessed their maize form part of an 8,000 ton maize shipment loaded onto a supramax cargo vessel in Durban port.

The KwaZulu-Natal port was identified as the closest for the Matatiele farmers. Their produce will leave for the high seas on Sunday.

Mongoato of Matatiele Grainco praised the department’s Alfred Nzo district director, Bukiwe Madyibi, for supporting farmers, as well as the provincial department which invested R10-million in mechanisation for Matatiele farmers’ production.

Spokesperson Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetshe said the programme was part of his department’s agriculture economic transformation strategy.

“The department signed a service level agreement with the Grain Farmer Development Association, tasking it to support emerging black grain farmers to produce maize on 3,350ha for commercial markets in the Joe Gqabi and Alfred Nzo districts of the province.”

The Grain Farmer Development Association’s general manager, Ishmael Tshiame, said the Eastern Cape was the first province to develop a partnership with them to benefit black farmers.