More state land to be released for agriculture, says Dizida
The government is set to release more agricultural land for the use by emerging farmers.
In the State of the Nation Address in February, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that 700 000 hectares of land would be released.
The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza briefed the media on Thursday on the progress that has been made since the announcement.
"Since the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his February 2020 State of the Nation Address, the department has released 135 117 hectares of land to 275 farmers. In Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and the North West,” she said.
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"Out of the remaining hectares, in 2 weeks' time government will issue an advertisement notice of farms measure over 500 000 hectares of the remaining announced by the president. In the Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and the North West.”
The land will be leased for 30 years under a strict contractual agreement with the government.
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