How the ECRDA is driving the development of rural agriculture

Simpiwe Somdyala, CEO of the Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency, speaks about the agency's ambitious plans to significantly increase agricultural production in the province. Janine Ryan reports.

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The Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency (ECRDA) was established in 2012 through the merger of two existing public entities: the Eastern Cape Rural Finance Corporation and AsgiSA-Eastern Cape. This amalgamation was a strategic move to create a more comprehensive and integrated approach to rural development in the province.

The ECRDA's establishment is rooted in the Eastern Cape Rural Finance Corporation Act (No. 9 of 1999). Its primary focus is to formulate, promote, and ensure the implementation of a comprehensive integrated rural development strategy for the province. The agency aims to drive and coordinate high-impact programmes that uplift rural communities.

Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Simpiwe Somdyala, CEO of the ECRDA, said national government specifically mandated the agency to focus on rural agriculture.

“The Eastern Cape is a net importer of everything we consume; we simply don’t produce enough to meet our own demand. The particular initiatives and programmes we have put in place focus on [improving] market access for farmers and establishing food aggregation centres linked to government procurement, retailers, and exporters,” he said. This is a unique problem, as the Eastern Cape has the potential to be one of, if not the biggest, producers in the country.