Eastern Cape Rural Development and Agrarian Reform MEC, Nonkqubela Pieters, used the handing over of beef master castle to livestock farmers as an opportunity to encourage them to graduate from being emerging farmers into commercial farming, saying that this was the main reason government was supporting farmers.
“We encourage farmers to treat this not only as a hobby, but also as business. They must know that farming is business, and they must be able to make money.
“They must be able to graduate from being emerging farmers to commercial farmers; that is why we are assisting them,” said Pieters.
She said the department was handing over 116 heifers, 16 bulls and 11 calves to farmers from Alfred Nzo, Amathole District Municipality, Chris Hani and Joe Gqabi and Sarah Baartman.
“The type of breed that we are handing over is beef master, so we have managed to buy only beef masters in the last financial year and we are handing those over to the farmers,” said Pieters.
Pieters said what she likes about farmers who benefited is that many people benefit, including females and young people, saying that this shows that women and young people are getting into the farming business.
One of the young people who received 10 beef master heifers and one bull, Nosipho Vuthela,
“The livestock we got from the department will help us to improve the production, also the quality and the quantity of the products we are supplying. The department helped us so much; honestly, we will improve,” said Vuthela.
Vuthela said that their business, which is leasing a farm, is now looking for a farm so they can expand their livestock farming.
She listed stock theft as one of the major challenges that can be solved by acquiring a farm suitable for commercial livestock production.
