Page 562 - Demo

Estimates of the Provincial Revenue and Expenditure (EPRE) %u2013 2025/26 Financial YearA total of 112 infrastructure projects will be established resulting in 638 jobs created through infrastructure projects in support of sustainable agricultural development. The department is targeting to capacitate 274 Extension Practitioners on priority commodities. A total of 23 000 hectares of land will be planted with field crops (grain, fodder and horticulture) benefiting 8 800 small producers and in turn, food insecurity in the Province will be addressed. A total of 30 000 subsistence producers/households will be supported. A total of 1 406 million animals will be vaccinated against controlled animal diseases according to the Animal Disease Act (Act 35 of 1984). To improve the quality and quantity of the wool clip a total of 8 247 million treatments will be applied to sheep for the control of sheep scab. A total of 2 662 million treatments will be applied to animals for external parasite control. To promote the safety of meat and meat products 1 246 inspections will be conducted on meat processing facilities and 88 abattoirs registered and monitored for compliance. Furthermore, 4 890 veterinary certificates will be issued for export facilitation. A total of 101 Agri-Businesses will be supported with marketing services and 381 clients supported with production economic services. To further enable our producers to penetrate the mainstream economy and markets a total of 10 South Africa's Good Agricultural Practices (SA GAP) certificates will be facilitated. The department seeks to address skills shortage by training a total of 2 251 participants on both crop and livestock, 250 farm workers completing accredited and/ or non-accredited training to develop skilled Farm-Workers. A total of 120 youth will be placed at agri-businesses and commercial farms for two years to acquire agri-entrepreneurial skills, and a total of 600 students are targeted to be enrolled to complete accredited Higher Education and Training qualifications and 155 are expected to graduate in 2025/26. To advance rural development programmes, a total of 7 basic infrastructure projects are planned while 350 jobs will be created through rural development initiatives. A total of 105 rural enterprises will be supported. ECRDA will continue playing its role as the implementing Agency mainly focusing on high-impact projects such as agro-processing. 4 REPRIORITIZATION The reprioritization exercise was undertaken to optimize resource allocation and sustain critical functions amid budget constraints. Funds were reallocated across the department to address spending pressures and align resources with strategic priorities. One of the key areas of reprioritization was Compensation of Employees (CoE), where savings of R48.638 million were realized due to high staff turnover from retirements and internal promotions. Of this amount, R14.942 million was redirected to Goods and Services to cover contractual obligations such as fleet services, vehicle rentals, operating leases, security, cleaning, municipal services, and communication costs. Additionally, funds were allocated for computer services following the centralization of Microsoft licenses at the Office of the Premier (OTP). Further budget adjustments were made to support digital transformation initiatives, including the rollout of the Survey123 system, and to fund critical agricultural programs such as the SA GAP and Market Access Programme, as well as research and economic studies. Adjustments in Transfers and Subsidies focused on strengthening agricultural commercialization, with R40.551 million allocated to the Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency (ECRDA), including R25 million initially earmarked for the Blended Finance Programme. Additional funding of R2.209 million was provided for the administration of irrigation workers under the Chris Hani Development Agency (CHDA), while R2.800 million was allocated for financial aid to students at 541