MBABANE:Mandla Tshauke,the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives says, those who are feeding or providing food to the Nation will, one day,influence political decisions and take over this country.
The Agriculture Minister was speaking this week when visiting the Philani Maswati Centre at Mkhiweni Inkhundla.
Chauke who is also a Member of Parliament(MP) for the area was touring the Dam that “has been constructed through the support from the Financial Inclusion and Cluster Development(FINCLUDE).
“We need to improve our food security, there’s danger in relying from foreign countries for food.One day the people who feed us will impose political conditions and say “in order for us to continue feeding you, the country must be governed this way”, said the Agriculture Minister.
The Minister was accompanied by the Agriculture Principal Secretary(PS) Sydney Simelane, and FINCLUDE Chief Executive Officer(CEO) Nomcebo Hadzebe among other high profile people, Lutfo Dlamini, the Philani Maswati Charity Organization Chairman was also present to welcome the Agriculture Minister.
Speaking to this Swaziland News after the tour, Philani Chairman Lutfo Dlamini said,the purpose of the visit by the Agriculture Minister was to view the Dam that has been constructed through the financial support from FINCLUDE.
“The dam which will contain enough water to irrigate about ten(10) hectares is almost complete and filling-up now. So the Minister was there to see the progress both as Minister for Agriculture and as MP for the area, and to check it’s readiness for its handover to the Patron which is Her Majesty the Queen. The Minister was also able to tour the Philani site where Philani is developing one of the biggest fruit tree nursery or fruit tree garden, he also donated four(4) fruit trees that he also helped to plant, joining other people who have been planting trees there”, said the Philani Maswati Chairman.
Agriculture Minister Mandla Tshauke during a visit at Philani Maswati.