Farmers in the Free State have applauded Remmoho Investment in Agriculture for creating lasting jobs in the fruit industry and improving the economy of Bethlehem and surrounding towns.
At the Remmoho Harvest Day recently in Bethlehem, Eastern Free State livestock farmer Skhosana Mtambo said the government needs to support these initiatives to ensure food security is being dealt with.
“We are extremely happy regarding what Remmoho has achieved. We are saying to the community members you cannot live without a farmer. You might have a smartphone but you cannot download food, you need a farmer to plant food. So whenever you see a farmer, please give that farmer a hug,” he said.
Learning from Remmoho’s commercial success
Mtambo called on the youth in farming to engage people like Remmoho chairperson Pitso Sekhoto to mentor them so that they can get the experience and expertise they need to farm.
Senekal livestock and crop farmer Ratlale Masiu said young farmers should learn from Remmoho to reach the level of commercial farming that Sekhoto has reached, and even go beyond.
“In this district, funding for agriculture is crucial. There is a lot of potential, however, the downside of the issue with farming is that there is no funding.
“Although we try to push by ourselves, we believe that we can be uplifted by government so that we can also start looking at exporting. We also believe that organised agriculture can help us go a long way,” Masiu said.
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Meanwhile, Sekhoto urged farmers to unite, plan and focus to succeed in agriculture. He said there is a lot of potential and farmers should not hesitate to grab it with both hands.
“Yes we are celebrating the harvest, but there is more that can still be done by us. We have received money from government and its entities because of the determination that we have and we are calling on other farmers to tap into the government’s support.
“We are happy to say to government we are implementing the monies that you have given us, which is there for everyone to see. We want to increase our capacity and the only way to do that is to work more land. We can promise you that even if you come next year, we would have planted areas where we have not because we want to move forward,” he said.
Fixing road infrastructure
Free State Agriculture commercial manager Jack Armour said they are happy for Sekhoto’s success as it was not only his achievement but also those of the district and many people who directly and indirectly rely on the project.
Armour called on the provincial government to prioritise roads critical to linking farmers with markets. He added that poorer roads mean farmers could lose markets and spend time fixing vehicles and roads instead of farming.
Free State premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae said road infrastructure is key for her administration.
“We will be dealing with the issues of roads. Our province has become a construction province, everywhere you go there is fixing of a road. We call on all social partners to partner with us as we collaborate in addressing the issue of roads,” she said.
Letsoha-Mathae said she is proud of Sekhoto’s progress and those he works with. “Today I see you (Sekhoto) are happy and you are not pointing us with fingers. This is a great initiative and as government, we will continue to show our support,” she said.
The MEC of agriculture in the Free State, Elsabé Rockman, said the region where Remmoho farms is a concern to food security and the government is working to deliver projects and revive abandoned projects.
“We have spoken with the local municipality that all the abandoned projects would get priority and we will deal with them. We need more of Remmoho’s success stories,” she said.
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