ESWADE, NMC E44m to solve maize problem

SIPHOFANENI - Government has tasked ESWADE and NMC to produce over 30 000 metric tonnes of grain maize through the commercial maize project.

ESWADE is the Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise and NMC is the National Maize Corporation.

This project has the mammoth task of assisting the country to attain its food and nutrition security through the production of 30 000 metric tonnes of grain maize on an annual basis.

This tasked is to be achieved through the amalgamation of farmers under Eswatini Nation Land (ENL), commercial maize production on the government farms.

For the project to be a success, government has allocated E44 million, entrusting ESWADE with the facilitation of maize production in the country, through the commercial maize project and a partnership with NMC.

This means farmers and commercial maize producers have been afforded an opportunity to supply government with maize and in turn, government would assist them through loans and further avail a market for them.

NMC is the market that has been availed for the farmers through the commercial maize project and they have assured that their buying prices had been revised.

A PIE CHART SHOWING VALUE OF INPUTS

Through the commercial maize project, a Revolving Fund was recreated in 2022 to assist maize famers with the ever-escalating cost of farming inputs among other things.

The total value of inputs disbursed to date is E5 081 337.34, which supported farmers towards the production of 5 000 metric tonnes.

Chief

ESWADE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sam Sithole exclusively told the Business Desk that the government has demonstrated prioritisation of food security in the country by means of availing some of its farms including Buseleni and Ngwempisi for the purpose of maize production. The CEO said through the National

Grains Farmers Association, the Regional Grains Association in the Shiselweni, Hhohho, Manzini and Lubombo regions, a total of 17 farmers (Shiselweni –(8), Hhohho – (5), Manzini – (3) and Lubombo- (1)) were supported through the maize input support Revolving Fund.

“The total value of inputs and area under production was E83 074 and 172.5ha respectively. Farmers were able to repay the sum of E766 313.30 of the total amount loaned giving a 91.3 per cent success rate of the Revolving Fund. Only two farmers were recorded to have been unable to repay their loan from Manzini and Hhohho regions respectively,” he added.

Sithole mentioned that the total contribution of the ENL farmers and the government farms was 778.14 metric tonnes.

From these figures, he said it was clear that the farmers had the experience, commitment and zeal to assist the country to reach its food and nutrition security in the earliest possible time.

NMC assured that the market of maize will always be available in the country and farmers should upscale production to meet the target. The escalating cost of farming inputs is the biggest challenge faced by farmers locally.

This has contributed to the downward trend in maize production performance for the past three years.

At least 22 per cent of Eswatini’s population is projected to be living in food shortage crisis.

Integrated

This is according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Acute Food Insecurity Analysis for June 2022 to March 2023.

Mavela Sigwane, Head of Business Transformation at the Federation of Eswatini Business Community (FESBC), said the shortage of maize in the country was embarrassing because maize was the country’s stable food.

He said the country had enough irrigated farms which guaranteed that every year farmers were supposed to grow sugar cane.

He said while they were still in that period, farmers could start ploughing maize that would be harvested after three months.

Sithole added that over the past production season (2021/22), they had cautiously listened to challenges faced by farmers under ENL, including limited availability of tractors and farm implements, escalating costs of farming inputs (such as double pricing for fertiliser) delayed procurement and delivery inputs, excessive heat and delayed rainfall, pests such as fall army worm and post-harvest losses due to theft.

To counter act some of these challenges, he said, ESWADE was committing to continuously use its experience accumulated over the period of more than 20 years working with smallholder farmers to foster increased production and productivity through technical support and farming as a business under the ENL.

Committed

“Secondly, looking at the number of farmers who committed themselves, in the first cycle, a majority was coming from the Shiselweni Region (Sigodzi Esinamandla). This commitment from farmers has pushed ESWADE beyond limits and to provide financial resources to procure a high precision four-row maize planter with a total value of close to E500 000 for the Shiselweni Farmers Grains Association,” he added.

However, Sithole added that payment terms would be communicated to favour both parties.

He said in the subsequent years, the Manzini, Hhohho and Lubombo regions shall be supported as well.