By BAKANG MOKOTO
North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Desbo Mohono has lauded ‘good Samaritans’ for lending a helping hand to emerging farmers. This comes after the Mamusa Agricultural Forum donated goats, sheep, pigs, heifers, and bull to emerging farmers in the area.
Mohono said she was personally touched by the generosity of these farmers. She further said many emerging farmers’ daily livelihood patterns and their everyday means of sustaining themselves have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am completely humbled and touched by this gesture. I therefore wish to thank the forum for the initiative that they have come up with and for sharing with others what they have so they can and empower themselves. Not everybody gives out, but it is a good thing for the mere fact that they have extended a hand to help others.
“We are grateful as the department and we would like to encourage other farmers to do the same. I urge beneficiaries to go and multiply what they have received. If you take care of them, they will take care of you,” said Mohono.
She said the humanity between farmers will help the department to grow and make the agricultural sector a more economical one thus leading to a general upliftment of the farmers and the broader communities.
The Mamusa Agricultural Forum deputy chairperson, Kabelo Digopo said the majority of beneficiaries were young people from the Mamusa region that are actively involved in farming and other agricultural activities. Digopo added that the forum is made up of emerging farmers and was established in 2017.
“The aim of this initiative is to protect, advance the interests of local farmers and to promote the development of a viable farming industry in order to improve rural community standard of living and enhancing rural farming.
“Our vision is to see many young people taking part in the agricultural sector and the donation of these few animals is our contribution towards that vision,” said Digopo.
One of the beneficiaries, Ofentse Seane who is a young female and aspiring farmer from Ipelegeng Township in Schweizer Reneke welcomed the donation.
“I would like to applaud the forum for their kind gesture. So, on behalf of all beneficiaries, I wish to convey our genuine appreciation and heartfelt thanks to the forum for everything they have done for us.
“We thank them for reaching out to us as aspiring and emerging farmers and we want to assure them that we will not disappoint. Maybe without the help of these fellow farmers, our passion for farming would have died a long time ago,” she said.
The generosity and acts of kindness by the farmers towards fellow farmers in the province is not a new phenomenon. Not so long ago, the department welcomed a donation from a group of stud breeders in the province who donated ten Boran bulls to emerging farmers to help them improve the quality of their herds.
Meanwhile, in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, the passion for farming also motivated six stud breeders to donate bulls to a number of emerging cattle farmers. The breeders handed over five bonsmara bulls and one bramvee to the beneficiaries.
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