The Richtersveld Community Property Association (CPA) in Alexander Bay in the Northern Cape is reaping the benefits of government’s land reform programme.
The Richtersveld CPA owns 195 150 hectares of land.
The land was handed over to the residents by th
e Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, as part of the land reform programme in 2007.
The project currently farms 13 hectares of potatoes, 54 hectares of lucerne, 171 hectares of maize, and 12 hectares of raisin grapes.
"We as the Richtersveld CPA are selling our poduce and crops to markets in Cape Town and Upington through an offtake agreement with an agriculture products maketing company. We also share the extra harvest amongst the members of the CPA,” says Richtersveld CPA spokesperson Abraham Cloete.
The Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform in the Northern Cape has donated a potato planter, two potato harvesters and two potato trailers valued at R3.2 million to the project.
In addition to this support, the department will donate a maize harvester, a drying facility for raisins and a centre pivot, which are valued at R3.5 million.
“The provision of the implements by the department has assisted us to harvest and plant more hectares of potato seeds that have been sold to commercial farmers,”says Cloete.
He adds that the CPA has also created 60 job opportunities for community members.
Northern Cape MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform, Mase Manopole recently visited the farm and declared it a flagship project in the Namakwa District.
“We have invested a lot of money into the project with the hope of seeing the livelihood of the people of Richtersveld and surrounding areas being restored and impacted positively,” she said.
Contact the Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform at 087 630 0387
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