In a proactive move to bolster local agriculture and provide consumers with access to fresh, organic produce, the Border Kei Chamber of Businesses (BKCOB) is set to unveil an exciting new initiative: an organic market in East London to kick off on October 14.
The market will be hosted every second Saturday from 8-11am at Spargs, Beacon Bay.
The farmers have been supplied with documentation verifying their produce has been grown using organic methods. Consumers will be able to purchase vegetables, organic chili sauce, herbs, honey and other natural goods at affordable prices.
Spearheaded by the BKCOB’s agricultural committee, this market aims to empower local farmers by enabling them to sell directly to consumers — providing a lifeline in these challenging economic times.
Joy of Health founder Monique Weschta welcomed the initiative and said that for consumers it was a healthier alternative to mass produced food because it was free of pesticides which meant there were no harmful chemicals.
Weschta also said that the natural shapes and textures of the foods were also preserved in organic growing methods which also ensured that the food contained ample nutrients.
BKCOB agricultural committee member Robyn Mafanya said the committee was capitalising on the growing interest among Eastern Cape farmers who had begun to see the organic farming as the healthier alternative for consumers, the soil and the environment. These farmers were looking for an outlet for their products on a platform that would set them apart from the non-organic farmers and would attract the relevant customers.
Fort Hare researchers have found that in the Eastern Cape, organic farming was on the right trajectory with both farmers and consumers open to use of animal manure, dried plants as mulching material, the practice of crop rotation to replenish the loss nutrients in the soil, effective pest management system and use of mixed cropping to reduce the incidence of weeds.
Conceptualising the market has taken four months and Mafanya said the main objective thereof was to ensure that the interests of both local farmers and consumers is protected.
The BKCOB agricultural committee is responsible for advocating for all agricultural matters within the Border-Kei region. This involves designing effective interventions to boost agriculture locally, attract funding and lobby for policy change.
The committee consists of farmers associations, government departments, SOEs, BCM and traditional leaders.
The committee will also be introducing an urban farm which will involve various practices of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in urban areas in East London.
Mafanya said: “We want to see small farmers getting direct route to market access to sell their produce directly to consumers and to help consumers to choose healthy lifestyles by purchasing fresh organic produce.”
