STATE PROJECT
Industry scheme may fund black farmers
The state wants to emulate the successful black industrialist programme model in agriculture
The government may extend its black industrialist programme to include black commercial farmers, a process that would be managed by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in collaboration with the Department of Rural Development and the Land Bank. A proposal for such a programme — which Department of Trade and Industry director-general Lionel October said would be allocated R1bn of reprioritised funds — will be taken to the Cabinet within the next few weeks. It expects to fund 50 black commercial farmers in each province, ultimately reaching 450 farmers. In an interview on Friday, October said the model of the black industrialist programme had proved successful, which was why the government wanted to replicate it. It was also being strengthened through new partnerships with banks and retailers to broaden access to finance and markets. The black industrialist programme itself has been accelerated, with the Department of Trade and Industry targeting the creation of 100 ...
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