By Roux Van Zyl

Eastern Cape youth have been advised to stop toyi-toying and reap the fruits of freedom as a R15-million project was launched to develop rural youths into commercial farmers.
The call came from Provincial Youth Committee chairperson Nomawethu Ntantala-Kentane, a successful farmer from Butterworth.
The youth committee will oversee the Department of Agriculture-funded project, which will be rolled out first in the Intsika Yethu municipal district, Lukhanji and Mbhashe municipal areas.
Ntantala-Kentane said agriculture was the mainstay of a nation and youths should wholeheartedly involve themselves in agriculture.
“Today there is no time to toyi-toyi. It is time to reap the fruits of freedom,” she said.
Ntantala-Kentane was taught how to farm by her late mother and today supplies several big businesses in East London with vegetables.
She called on the youth to join the government development programmes so they could be helped instead of “standing aloof” and criticizing the government.
The Agriculture Department’s rural development general manager, Zukile Pityi said the project targeted youths in rural areas where unemployment and underdevelopment was rife.
Pityi saidR15m had been budgeted for the first year of the youth development programme and more money would be budgeted during the next financial year.
The first phase of the project was estimate to benefit 100 youths who would undergo classroom and hands-on training in agriculture.
They would also be given funds to start their own farms on communal land.
Agriculture spokesperson Mthobeli Mxotywa said the programme was linked with a R9m project to establish farmer support centres to support the youthful farmers with extra skills training.
The Tsolo Agriculture College will be the first such farmer support centre. Another will be built in Dutywa.
The youth development project is expected to produce its first commercial farmers by 2009.