(4 minutes read)
· South African government said that it would make available about US$66million to help small-scale farmers hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic
· Farmers, mostly marginal ones, will be supported with farming input vouchers, to retain self-employment in the sector, while supporting food value chains. Of the total number of beneficiaries, 50% would be women
· Successful beneficiaries will receive one-off payments between R1,000 (US$66) and R9,000 (US$592
South African government said that it would make about US$66million to help small-scale farmers hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the information shared by the government sources, over 75,000 small-scale farmers would benefit from the fund. Thoko Didiza, South Africa’s minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development said that the fund targets youth, women, the disabled, unemployed army veterans and farm workers. The farmers, mostly marginal ones, will be supported with farming input vouchers, to retain self-employment in the sector, while supporting food value chains. Of the total number of beneficiaries, 50% would be women.
Successful beneficiaries will receive one-off payments between R1,000 (US$66) and R9,000 (US$592). The ministry announced that it had received thousands of calls from farmers appealing for help. South Africa is one of the hardest-hit countries in the world with over 800,000 virus cases and 20,000 fatalities. The stringent lockdowns had seriously affected the economy of the most industrialized country on the continent. Close to 2.2 million people lost their jobs.
The South African government is implementing various projects to address the hardships being faced by the people. Political pressure is also built by the trade unions to force the government to desist from mass retrenchment.
