The City of Ekurhuleni has made council-owned land valued at R120 million, available to local smallholder and subsistence farmers to improve food security, increase tax and revenue, expands food export and attract new investment to the City. Titled, a ‘rapid land release programme,’ the initiative seeks to develop job opportunities in the city.
Nhlanhla Cebekhulu, spokesperson of the City of Ekurhuleni said, “Farmers will be assisted with access to council-owned land, technical support, skills development, access to funding and access to markets and off-take agreements”. He said the City will be working in collaboration with the private sector, farmer organisations, and the government, among others.
There will be the Ekhurhuleni Agriculture Summit on the 7th and the 8th of October 2019 where stakeholders will engage on how to use the available land to boost the economy of the city.
