Despite concerns about the reduced budget allocation for her department, Free State agriculture and rural development MEC Elzabe Rockman has stated that her department will prioritise job creation and transforming the sector with key focus on promoting food security.
She recently presented her maiden budget in the Free State legislature where she said the limited funding the department receives compromises their frontline services such as extension and veterinary services.
Rockman presented an over R800 million budget for the 2024/25 financial year, with a big chunk going to agricultural producer supply and development.
Focusing on veterinary services
“While continuing to advance imperatives to maximise government fiscal contributions in our agricultural sector, we need to be more creative and innovative to explore and secure additional investment and funding opportunities through a combination of funding models and partnerships with the broader public sector,” she said.
Rockman noted with concern that some of the government-funded projects have either remained unviable or become unsustainable.
“The unsustainability is caused by various reasons including inadequate feasibility studies, incomplete infrastructure projects, disruption in funding, failed implementation methodologies, insufficient monitoring and evaluation of projects, as well as dispute among beneficiaries.
“During this financial year, we will implement an intervention programme which will evaluate and review the viability, sustainability and repurposing of such projects.”
Rockman said they will focus on veterinary services to ensure a lack of biosecurity does not hamper their export opportunities.
“We need to invest in our veterinary services capacity, infrastructure and system that will contribute to the traceability of our produce.
“Veterinary services continue to promote a healthy animal population through animal health and disease control interventions. We must acknowledge that our veterinary services perform exceptionally well despite severe resource capacity constraints,” she explained.
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Addressing safety issues
Rockman added that the long-standing challenge of rural safety in the province, especially in the farming communities, will get much-needed attention during her tenure.
She and the Free State MEC of community safety, Jabu Mbalula, and senior government officials met with farmers to address the issues of stock theft, farm attacks, and lack of police visibility.
“These are not just sporadic incidents but the work of well-organised and armed stock theft syndicates. It is also indicative of the larger problem of stock theft in the province.
“This is an area of work that we will jointly address under the leadership of MEC Mbalula whilst strengthening our working relationship with the South African Police Services,” Rockman said.
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