OFFICIALS from the Department of Agriculture and Mbhashe Local Municipality hosted a Poultry Agricultural Roadshow in Elliotdale last week.
The aim of the event was to equip farmers in the area with the necessary knowledge and skills to improve poultry production.
Spokesperson for Mbhashe Local Municipality, Babalwa Magqwanti, stated that the municipality, through its Developmental Planning Department, provides both financial and non-financial support to farmers.
“To stimulate opportunities for livestock and crop farmers, the municipality provides technical support to enhance the quality and scale of sheep production, thereby justifying value addition in the region,” Magqwanti said.
“We also support farmers by raising awareness about various livestock and crop diseases. Additionally, we provide relevant information to empower rural smallholder farmers through teaching and learning programmes, updating them on modernised agricultural methods such as agricultural roadshows. We also assist them in accessing funding and markets.”
Magqwanti emphasised that collaboration with relevant stakeholders in agricultural development plays a crucial role.
The municipality supports the Mbhashe Agricultural Association, collects essential data and information to drive proactive development, and builds farmers’ capacity through partnerships with government departments and private companies.
She further mentioned that each financial year, the municipality allocates a budget for agricultural development to boost the local economy, focusing on livestock improvement and crop production.
This initiative aligns with the municipality’s Local Economic Development (LED) strategy, as agriculture is the leading economic sector in the area.
“Resource mobilisation is done both internally and externally. The municipality supports farmers by providing high-quality maize seeds, maintaining LED agricultural infrastructure projects such as dipping tanks and shearing sheds for livestock improvement, and promoting high-value crop projects, including lemongrass, sorghum, moringa, and macadamia.”
Magqwanti confirmed that significant improvements have been observed, with Elliotdale farmers producing high-quality chickens for human consumption and successfully selling them to local shops and markets.
“There are farmers and cooperatives that are excelling in chicken and egg production. The municipality is assisting farmers in accessing markets by creating marketing platforms. These include flea market days, the Ilifa LoMbhashe Festival and Flea Market, and agricultural market days when farmers can showcase and sell their produce.”
The Deputy Chairperson of the Mbhashe Farmers Association in Elliotdale, Thembeka Dingekhaya, said the purpose of the information day was to equip farmers with the necessary knowledge to improve their poultry farming.
“Even though we cultivate different crops, we also take care of chickens. Today, we have learned how to properly manage them so that our businesses can grow. This training will help us a lot because, despite our interest in poultry farming, we face many challenges. Our lack of knowledge has been a major obstacle, which is why this training is so valuable — it will help us raise healthier chickens,” Dingekhaya said.
She explained that they were taught the essential steps to take when their chickens arrive and what practices to follow to ensure successful growth.
“This knowledge will help our businesses expand because chickens are in high demand. Our area is known for its high poverty levels, but we are working hard to change that. As we continue farming, we are fighting poverty by ensuring that we can feed our families.”
She encouraged others to take up farming, noting that it is cost-effective and beneficial. She said their biggest challenge is finding markets to sell their products.
“If we could get machines to process the chickens into portions, it would help us a lot. We have asked the government for assistance in obtaining a proper structure, but we are still waiting for a response.”
