Western Cape Agriculture Minister Ivan Meyer delivered his Budget 2021 in the Provincial Parliament on Monday March 29.
Meyer announced a total budget of R909.086 million. He said the budget facilitates the critical role that the Agricultural Sector plays to drive the economy and create jobs in the Western Cape.
The budget has been allocated as follows:
- R122.724m to Sustainable Resource Use and Management
- R274.986m to Agricultural Producer Support and Development
- R97.093m to Veterinary Services
- R141.115m to Research and Technology Development Services
- R46.971m to Agricultural and Economic Services
- R57.393m to Agricultural Education and Training and
- R28.958 to Rural Development
To support the Western Cape Recovery Plan Meyer said that he will be launching an Agri-processing On Wheels Project later this year.
“The Western Cape will be commissioning a Chemical Residue Testing facility at our Provincial Veterinary Laboratory to support market access. We will also implement a further 1 800 household gardens in impoverished communities across the Province to enhance household food security,” said Meyer.
He said the Cape Department of Agriculture has established a Rural Safety Desk.
“During the 2021/22 financial year a total of R7, 8 million will be allocated to the erection of fences.”
The Western Cape Department of Agriculture will implement the SmartAgri Management Improvement Plan in 2021 to enhance the sector’s drought resilience and the Department will offer drone training for farmers in the Western Cape.
The above interventions embody my five Ministerial Priorities – Structured Education Training and Research, Market Access, Rural Safety, Farmer Support and Development and Climate Change.These five priorities aim to facilitate the Western Cape Government’s stated objectives of safety, jobs, and well-being of the Western Cape citizens. Agriculture is ready to play its role in the economic recovery of the Western Cape.
Full Speech here: https://www.mzansiagritalk.com/archives/6368
