The Free State Department of Agriculture has handed over twelve vehicles to agricultural advisors to promote extension and advisory services to farmers.
MEC for Agriculture, Elzabe Rockman, says the availability of the vehicles will assist agricultural advisors to conduct farm visits and farm assessments.
She added that the advisors provide farmers with information and training. Rockman says many projects funded by the department have failed due to a lack of vehicles.
“We have had challenges with a lack of vehicles for quite a substantial period of time. So firstly to fix the ability of extension officers to reach farms and farmers to do their daily duties, it’s farm visits, it includes monitoring and evaluation, giving advice, etc. So if we have more vehicles they are able to reach farms and farmers more often, more frequently, they are to follow-up more effectively. So it’s going to make an enormous difference. Though we will still have an additional shortage of vehicles, but at least with all the different kinds of categories of vehicles available we will now be around 83.”
Farmers in the Free State have expressed excitement that they will get support from the Department of Agriculture. This comes after the department handed over twelve vehicles to agricultural advisors.
One of the farmers had this to say, “We are very happy as farmers because it means now the extension officers they will be able like go to our farms and come and give us those technical support that we need. It has been a struggle, the extension officers not having cars but what is happening today it’s a win for us. Farmers know it’s a great win for us farmers.”
