Workshop for emerging farmers
Candace Freeman
1 November 2004
A three-day Fair Trade workshop aimed at training black emerging farmers on how to access European markets started in the Northern Cape on Monday.
The workshop is jointly hosted by the provincial Department of Agriculture and Land Reform, and the South African Agri Academy (SAAA).
Fifteen emerging farmers who are involved in small and medium sized enterprises processing flowers, rooibos tea, fresh vegetables and fruit, wine, dried fruit, essential oils and other food commodities, will make presentations at the workshop.
Agriculture and Land Reform MEC Tina Joemat-Pettersson said the workshop will assist emerging farmers in the region to match the export market standards through the Fair Trade logo that enables linkages with mentors and in the near future with European buyers.
The sessions will focus mainly on the prerequisites for the utilisation of the Fair Trade logo.
The workshop forms part of an agreement signed in June
2004 between the SAAA, the department, and Fair Trade Assistance in the Netherlands.
Joemat-Pettersson said the agreement was based on training small and medium size enterprises in export readiness and training to enter the European Union market.
She added that all parties share a common vision to empower small and medium sized enterprises to benefit both the farmers and their communities.
"By building capacity for production, marketing and export, these communities will be able to create sustainable employment possibilities as well as earn an income for themselves.
"We will do much more in increasing the numbers of emerging farmers who will produce for the export markets," she said.
Source: BuaNews
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