Farmers relief fund applications to open Wednesday
Applications for the R1.2 billion grant set aside by the Department of Agriculture will officially open on Wednesday.
The process will close on April 22, Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza announced in a virtual press briefing on Monday.
"Of the R1.2 billion, the department has ringfenced about R400 million to farmers with the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) program. And the remainder will be channeled to all the farmers who meet the criteria."
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Didiza said the fund will assist with food production over the next six months as the country battles the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Qualifying criteria for small-scale farmers is that all those who apply must be South African citizens who have been actively farming for a minimum of 12 months, farmers who are currently on production and must be registered on farmer register, or commodity-based organization or any provincial database."
Successful applicants will not be given money but vouchers to cater for specific needs.