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Overview of the Provincial Revenue and Expenditure (OPRE %u2013 2025/26)issued 979 hemp permits as of June 2024, 16.2 per cent of these permits are issued to hemp growers in Eastern Cape. In terms of developments in the sector, Medigrow has initiated its investment of R1 billion in the production of hemp in the province at the Coega SEZ. Red Meat: The provincial Department of Agriculture plans to commercialise livestock production in the province through land reform and support to targeted smallholder farmers. As part of the red meat development plan, the department plans to increase the number of dipping tanks in the province, improve market linkages for smallholder farmers, provide infrastructure development such as agro-processing, provide irrigation systems, and provide technical support. Agriculture Infrastructure: The Eastern Cape government is currently implementing various strategic interventions to revive provincial agriculture infrastructure and promote food security. Investments include on and off-farm infrastructure such as fencing, shearing sheds, silos, packhouses, cold storage, irrigation systems, etc. Investment in agri-infrastructure across all the supported commodity groups are aimed at lowering the farmers%u2019s transaction costs, improve their productivity and market access. Total allocation for agri-infrastructure for 2025/26 will be R135.5 million, or R409.20 million for the 2025 MTEF. Food Security: According to the General Household Survey (2023), access to adequate food for households in the province remains to be a challenge. Twenty seven per cent of provincial households are reported to be food insecure, which is higher than the national average of 23 per cent. This has persisted despite the high number of households reporting some involvement in agricultural activities in the province. Within the province, Sarah Baartman and Alfred Nzo remain as the hot spots of severe food insecurity. The challenges are multifaceted emanating both from the supply and demand sides of the food production and distribution. To support food household food production, the Eastern Cape government is implementing the Food Security informed by the recommendations of the National Food and Nutrition Security Survey of 2024 as well as the research and advocacy work done by the South African Human Rights Commission in the province on the state of child and malnutrition in the Eastern Cape. As part of the food security programme, the provincial department of agriculture plans localise a large share of the formal and informal agricultural food value chains so as to increase access to nutritious food for households and rural communities. Some of the planned projects include: %uf0b7 Increase the number of smallholder producers supported from 8 700 in 2024/25 to 10 000by 2027/28.%uf0b7 Increase the number of subsistence producers supported from 30 000 in 2024/25 to 32000 in 2027/28.%uf0b7 The role of commercial smallholder farmers in the agricultural value chains will beincreased from 390 in 2024/25 to 420 in 2027/28.For the food security programme, R269.276 million has been budgeted for 2025/26, an increase from the revised estimate of R39.621 million over the 2025 MTEF. In responding to demand side food security challenges which are mostly related to high prices for food and the lack of adequate and accessible food markets, the province will be upscaling the rollout of various social assistance and food relief programmes targeting the most vulnerable households in the province. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises: MSME support remains to be one of the key focus areas of governments around the world. Micro-small and medium enterprises contribute more than half 42