One of these is a high-value partnership between the Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency (ECRDA) and the Sakhisizwe biofuels project in the Coega industrial development zone, which aims to generate 100 million litres of biofuel a year.
The ECRDA will provide the feedstock, which will be planted by ECRDA-supported farmers from next year.
The farmers are expected to begin a cropping programme on 40,000ha of land next year to plant oil seeds, soya beans and sunflower seeds as rotational crops.
Announcing the rural development agency's 2013-14 performance results, ECRDA CEO Thozamile Gwanya said it aimed to focus on identified high- impact priority programmes like the bio-fuels feedstock project.
The ECRDA in the past financial year approved a total of R14.7 million in rural development loans to 473 enterprises.
"More than R2.4 million of agricultural loans were disbursed to 34 beneficiaries," he said.
Gwanya said the ECRDA wanted to improve the performance of its loans by providing clients with an aftercare service for the duration of the loan term.
About 31% of the loans went to the OR Tambo district, 26% to Amathole, 20% to Chris Hani, 19% to Alfred Nzo and 4% to Cacadu. In the livestock development programme, the ECRDA provided farmers with six Nguni bulls and three Brahman bulls.
A total of 1,300 cattle were vaccinated. In addition, training workshops on basic animal husbandry were held.
A total of 996 landowners in Transkei rural towns are also set to reap the benefits from a R100-million agro-processing programme by farming and milling white maize and sorghum in Mbizana and Lady Frere over the next three years.
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