THE National Agricultural Marketing Board (NAMBoard) has urged farmers to embrace contract farming as a sustainable path to agricultural growth.
The entity also unveiled a new Export Farmer Rebate programme aimed at boosting the country’s competitiveness in regional and international markets.
Speaking during a stakeholder engagement session on contract farming in the horticulture value chain which took place at Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre yesterday, NAMBoard Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bhekizwe Maziya described the meeting as an opportunity to rebuild trust and collaboration between farmers, markets and financial institutions.
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He said the meeting was for strengthening collaboration across the sector and to ensure that contract farming remained a fair, efficient and sustainable model for farmer development in Eswatini.
Maziya revealed that NAMBoard had recently reviewed its contract farming strategy in response to concerns raised at the National Agriculture Investment Indaba and Eswatini National Agriculture Union (ESNAU) Annual Policy Conference.
The revised framework, he explained, sought to improve coordination of planting programmes, reward quality production and enhance compliance with market standards.
“Under the new model, NAMBoard has an obligation to buy all contracted produce that meets quality standards and pay the farmer within 14 working days. equally, farmers must deliver the agreed quantities and quality. This is what we call a contract, ” he said.
The CEO warned that ‘side selling’, which is where contracted farmers supply produce to other buyers undermined the system, jeopardising NAMBoard’s ability to honour market obligations and making it difficult for financial institutions to extend credit.
Maziya said it was not contract farming when a farmer approached the market only after they had produce in the field and did not know where to sell it.
“Such practices create excess supply of some commodities and shortages of others and in the end, fingers are pointed at NAMBoard,” he said. In addition to strengthening the contract system, the gathering also marked the launch of the Export Farmer Rebate as a new incentive scheme designed to reward farmers targeting foreign markets.
“There is more value in export markets than in local markets,” Maziya said.
He said from four commodities identified in baby vegetables alone, farmers could tap into a market worth E45 million per year yet the country was still unable to fully satisfy demand.
He encouraged farmers to use the rebate to expand their export-oriented production, adding that NAMBoard remained committed to supporting them in accessing opportunities. “Let us use this platform to build trust, strengthen partnerships and pave the way for a contract farming model that not only supports farmers, but also advances national food security, economic growth and international competitiveness,” he concluded. NAMBoard also awarded farmers who were the top five performers in the export rebate programme with input vouchers.
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