The closing date for the grant applications is October 9, 2020 and Northern Cape farmers are encouraged to visit their respective departmental district offices for further information
THE NORTHERN Cape MEC for Agriculture, Land Reform, Rural Development, Environment and Nature Conservation, Mase Manopole, has appealed to emerging farmers to apply for the 2021/22 Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme as well as the Ilima/Letsema grant before the closing date of October 9, 2020.
Department spokesperson Zandisile Luphahla said the aim of the Ilima/Letsema grant is to assist vulnerable South African farming communities to achieve increased agricultural production.
“The purpose of the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) grant is to provide effective agricultural support and to streamline the provision of services to target beneficiaries of Land Reform’s restitution and redistribution, as well as other African producers who have acquired land through private means and are engaged in value-adding enterprise domestically. The fund is targeting subsistence, smallholder and black commercial farmers.
“The types of support include, on- and off-farm infrastructure, information and knowledge management, technical, advisory services and regulatory services. It also involves marketing and business development support, farmer training, skills development, capacity building and financial services amongst others,” said Luphahla.
Luphahla said the Ilima/Letsema grant seeks to assist farming communities to be able to feed their families and sell surplus to the market, thus increasing household consumption. “The Ilima/Letsema grant provides this type of support to emerging farmers – production inputs, mechanisation and irrigation infrastructure.”
He indicated that both programmes are aimed at creating long-term sustainability and economic viability, as well as to enhance national and household food security.
Luphahla encouraged farmers to visit their district department offices for further information on applications.
