The vision of the Vhembe district is that the area will become the food basket of the province and the entire country, said the acting executive mayor of the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM), Cllr Humbulani Mathavha.
He was speaking during the awarding of the Vhembe District's Young Farmer Entrepreneur Awards in the Dzanani Community Hall outside Nzhelele last Thursday. He urged young people in the Vhembe region who are interested in farming to form cooperatives in order to utilize the market efficiently.
"We are fully aware that we are contesting the food-basket status with Mopani District, but our fertile land always gives us an advantage and we have the potential to become a food production hub. We are saluting the youth of our district in their relentless struggle for food security and the development of the agricultural sector of our economy," he added.
Khuliso Mulaudzi (31), of Mutari farm in Nwanedi, was the top producer in the informal market. He grows tomatoes, butternuts and maize and encourages others to take agriculture seriously because one can make a living through agriculture.