The department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform in the Northern Cape has indicated that it is working towards the creation of 1 million jobs by 2030 as the agricultural sector has been identified by government as a key job driver. A two year initiative that would see unemployed agricultural graduates absorbed into the job market will speak directly to the National Development Plan (NDP) and the National Youth Policy (NYP), according to the department. The department states that the objectives of the initiative includes the following: Providing unemployed agricultural, forestry and fisheries graduates with opportunities to gain on-the job experience; Contributing to the acceleration of food production through the development of a pool of competent young producers, Bridge the gap of ageing producers and reduce high unemployment rate among youth, fight poverty and to build future agricultural entrepreneurs.

Journalist: Rene Julies
Email: rckjulies@gmail.com