Some small scale FS farmers demand transparency in fund allocation

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Some small scale farmers from different villages alias Trusts in Thaba Nchu, demand transparency in the allocation of funds from the Free State department of Agriculture.

They allege that since 2021, millions of rand intended to improve their infrastructure and for farming equipment, has not reached them. To date, only some received a portion of the funds, while others are still waiting.

Farmers are crying for help, both livestock and crops farming are in danger. Lack of farming resources and feed is a serious cause for concern.

Those who applied for funding from Ilima – Letsema programme, want the department of Agriculture to come clean. The department’s responsibility is to distribute the funding.

An affected farmer from the Rietfontein Trust, Matshediso Moadira eleborates: “Primarily what we are complaining about is that the decisions are made from the Ilima funding from Dora allocation, which is meant for subsistence farmers. But when decisions are made as to what needs to go to a particular trust, like in our case Rietfontein, those decisions are made by officials in the department.”

Farmers lament about projects being introduced, without their involvement. Some have storage, boreholes and irrigation systems, not being utilised, while efforts to engage the department failed.

“Agriculture is failing us, they are not transparent to us. They just give the service which we don’t need. They come with a tractor and put it there, and we don’t know what is going on about them,” complains a farmer.

“We complain about the R17 million budget that was meant to be allocated to us that including other trusts. This money was supposed to be for irrigation system,” adds another farmer.

“We need officials to come and advise that in a good way. They have to ask us what do we need so that they know, and buy cows for us, not to buy them without our concern, it’s what we are not happy about,” says a farmer.

The Free State department of Agriculture is willing to assist aspirant farmers, with funding models that need to be observed, says spokesperson Zimasa Mbewu.

“We ensure that all those who are interested are aware of the kind of funding models that we have which are in the form of grants. We are supporting a lot of farmers, and those that we have been supporting we still take them through, guiding them along the way to ensure that they become very successful in their farming enterprises.”

Mbewu says numerous farmers, want to trade in this field. However, certain levels of accountability is expected from grant recipients.

This is to ensure farmers thrive in their farming enterprises.