In what is expected to lead to further agricultural co-operation between South Africa and Mozambique, a high-level Government delegation led by Agriculture Minister Kraai van Niekerk, Deputy Minister Thoko Didiza and Freedom Front leader Constand Viljoen will leave for Mozambique on Tuesday, February 13 to hold negotiations with Mozambican leaders.
The delegation will include Department of Agriculture's deputy director-general Dr C S Blignaut, chief director Mr M L Mbongwa, assistant director Dr S Visser, Brabus International Corporation's Mr B M Eksteen and Department of Constitutional Development's chief planner Mr J A van der Merwe.
During this visit, discussions will centre around a co-operation agreement which will make it possible for local farmers and agricultural industries to engage Mozambique in joint agricultural development programmes.
The visit comes at a time when various government representatives from the Northern Province and Mpumalanga, as well as farmers, have been discussing possibilities of settling in Mozambique as a way of kick-starting agricultural development.
What may have appeared a controversial exodus by certain groups of farmers has now been fine tuned to meet Government and other stakeholder concerns.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Thoko Didiza has stressed that this co-operation should be seen within the context of an agreement that was signed by President Rolihlahla Mandela and his Mozambican counterpart, President Joachim Chissano during his (Mandela's) State visit to Mozambique, last year.
11/02/96
Issued by Brian Sokutu, Deputy Ministry Spokesman
Tel: (021) 461-0860/1