Senator Fezeka Dlamini’s Sibaya ideas on Agriculture could, if implemented, enhance economic growth and create sustainable jobs for the youth particularly the thousands of the University of Eswatini(UNESWA) Luyengo unemployed graduates.
This country has vast land that could be utilized for agricultural projects but government is staggering to provide resources to empower the youth, instead we are relying on the textile factories where workers are underpaid and exploited by Taiwanese investors.
Senator Fezeka Dlamini stated categorically that, this country is importing food from South Africa, she wondered what is preventing eSwatini from venturing into agricultural projects to enhance food security and in the process, create jobs.
It should be noted that,venturing into agricultural projects must be complemented by a regulatory framework that forces public companies like the National Agricultural Marketing Board(NAMBOARD) to purchase the products at competitive prices.
The whole idea worth billions could be rendered useless if Mswati would then continue with his greediness and demand that, a certain percentage from the farmers profits must be paid to him as the owner of the land.
Mswati does not own the land in this country but he is holding it in trust for the Eswatini Nation.
The King, if he wants this country to develop and prevent political unrest, he must stop his greediness.
We can have brilliant ideas like that of Senator Fezeka but, if we have a King and royal family members who want to grab everything from the poor and powerless, we will always have problems in this country.
The scarcity of jobs is a national crisis, more money must be allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture as Senator Fezeka Dlamini suggested,and emaSwati must have an access to more Funds to assist them to venture into farming.
Senator Fezeka Dlamini.