… Tractors now ready to service farmers
BY KWANELE TSABEDZE
MBABANE – The National Maize Corporation (NMC) has announced that tractors are ready to service farmers this farming season.
Speaking to Eswatini TV News, NMC Acting Programmes Director Mthobisi Dlamini revealed that over 8 000 farmers have already collected their farming inputs from the inputs subsidy programme.
“We have prepared the tractors, as over 80 per cent of the tractors have been fully serviced in readiness for the farming season. It has already rained in some places, so tractors have started servicing those farmers who have received rains,” said Dlamini.
He added that the NMC has also inspected the private tractors which also participate in the programme, citing that they are all ready for the ploughing to start.
“We encourage farmers to pay in time for the tractor services as well, so that we do not experience a heavy influx when they all pay at once. This is just to encourage farmers to pay early so that we can appropriately plan for them, and tractors do not take long to come and service them,” said Dlamini.
The Farm Inputs Subsidy Programme is an initiative by government to help Eswatini remain food-secure by empowering agriculture in the country. Under the programme, farmers only input 35 per cent of the total cost of farm inputs they need during their farming cycle – 65 per cent is covered by the Government.
15 279 farmers benefitted from the program last year.
