Agriculture
NW maize farmers exceed set target─── 10:09 Tue, 24 Jul 2018
Agriculture is a key driver of the economy in the North West province. This is according to the MEC for the Department of Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development (READ), Manketsi Tlhape.
The comment by Tlhape comes after farmers in the province managed to produce more than 16 000 tons of maize this year.
She told OFM News that they have managed to bring back in production about 16 500 hectares, over and above the land that has been planted.
She further says they have set them a target of rejuvenating fallow land of about 14 000 hectares this year, hence the result.
The production rate has exceeded the province's set target by a thousand tons.
“We managed to plant about 16 500 hectares [extra]. But what is key for us as a province is that during our harvest day that we held last week Friday, the indication was that even with regard to the expected yields for this financial year, we’re going to break even as a province. Our farmers are optimistic, for an example, on dry land a farmer is able to produce just over two tons per hectare and that indicates to us we are going to break even,” says Tlhape.
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