By Nkhensani Mthombeni
- Crop farmer Theodorah Mongwe told the Agri 5 Expo in Tzaneen, Limpopo, that South Africa urgently needs more farmers to feed a struggling economy.
- Mongwe says government must train young and small-scale farmers to make their own fertiliser as feed prices have risen sharply in recent months.
A Limpopo farmer says the price of feed is rising fast, and without government support to help small farmers cut costs, the push to get young people into agriculture will not work.
Theodorah Mongwe is a crop farmer and a member of the Greater Tzaneen Municipality Farmers Forum. She was speaking at the Agri 5 Expo in Tzaneen last week, where officials and farmers gathered to encourage young South Africans to enter the sector.
Mongwe said the message is right, but the support has to follow.
“If we don’t grow food, we don’t eat. There is no day when people don’t eat. This tells us that we need farmers. The economy is tough and farming is one of the solutions which our country needs,” she said.
She called on government to provide training so that farmers can produce their own fertiliser and feed. Input costs have risen sharply in recent months, she said, and small and emerging farmers are taking the worst of it.
“The solution to beating high prices as farmers is upscaling and more skills, especially for young and upcoming farmers,” Mongwe said.
Limpopo MEC for Agriculture Faith Kekana, speaking at the same event, said young people are the future of farming in South Africa. She said that to control the economy, young people must first learn to control the soil.
Tzaneen mayor Odas Ngobeni also addressed the expo, saying agriculture drives both job creation and economic growth.
The Agri 5 Expo has run across four provinces for 13 years. The next events take place in KwaZulu-Natal in September, the Eastern Cape in October and the Free State in November. Exhibitors in Limpopo included funders, agro-processing companies and firms selling farming technology such as drones.
Pictured above: MEC for Agriculture in Limpopo Faith Kekana with a young farmer showcasing produce at the Agri 5 Expo in Tzaneen.
Image source: Supplied
