BY SIFISO NHLABATSI
EZULWINI– Agriculture must create jobs and wealth for young people.
This was the central message from Minister of Agriculture Mandla Tshawuka during the official launch of the Agriculture Sector Review (ASR) and the Agricultural Solutions Marketplace held as part of the National Strategic Dialogue on Transforming Agriculture and Agribusiness in Eswatini at Happy Valley Hotel yesterday.
The minister said government was determined to transform the country’s agricultural sector into one that is commercially competitive, climate-resilient, innovative and driven by technology. He said agriculture should no longer be viewed merely as a means of subsistence but as a modern business capable of creating employment, improving household incomes and making a greater contribution to national economic growth.
“We want agriculture to create decent jobs for our youth, generate wealth for farmers, improve household incomes and contribute significantly to national economic growth,” Tshawuka said.
He said the launch of the Agriculture Sector Review was more than the unveiling of another government document, describing it as a renewed commitment to implementing practical solutions that would transform the country’s agrifood systems in line with government’s development agenda.
The minister thanked the World Bank Group for supporting the review and partnering with the Ministry of Agriculture to organise the strategic dialogue. He said the review provides an evidence-based assessment of the current state of agriculture while identifying interventions that will strengthen productivity, improve service delivery, enhance climate resilience, increase private sector participation and unlock opportunities in grains, livestock and horticulture.
Tshawuka acknowledged that agriculture remained central to Eswatini’s economy by providing food, employment and raw materials for industry. However, he said the sector continued to face challenges including climate change, low productivity, animal and plant diseases, inadequate value addition, market volatility and limited financing.
He said government alone could not transform agriculture and called for a whole-of-society approach involving investors, financial institutions, researchers, universities, farmers and development partners.
The minister challenged investors to establish agro-processing industries that would ensure more agricultural products are processed locally instead of exporting raw materials and importing finished products.
“We cannot continue producing tomatoes while importing tomato paste. We cannot produce groundnuts and import peanut butter. We cannot be self-sufficient in pigs while importing bacon or produce chickens for export while importing polony. Our agrifood systems need to industrialise,” he said.
He also urged banks and financial institutions to develop innovative financial products tailored to farmers and agribusinesses, saying risks associated with agriculture could be managed through creative financing models.
Earlier, Acting Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla, representing Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini, toured the Agricultural Solutions Marketplace where local innovators demonstrated technologies designed to improve productivity, lower production costs and strengthen climate resilience.
Among the innovations showcased was Faith’s Aquatics AquaSand, which uses a closed-loop aquaponics system that integrates fish farming with vegetable production while recycling water to significantly reduce consumption. Clamore Solar Eswatini demonstrated solar-powered water pumps and grinding mills that eliminate fuel costs and enable year-round farming without reliance on the electricity grid.
The Acting Prime Minister also visited Jabula Nkhukhu’s solar-powered poultry and crop production enterprise, which combines poultry farming with direct marketing to schools, households and local markets, eliminating middlemen while creating employment opportunities. Another innovation, Bhukula’s contract farming model, drew attention for empowering women farmers through the provision of quality planting materials, training in chemical-free farming and guaranteed buy-back agreements that eliminate market uncertainty.
Speaking during the dialogue, World Bank Resident Representative Ikechi Okorie said agriculture and agribusiness were among the sectors where Eswatini enjoys a competitive advantage alongside ecotourism and digital financial services. He said these sectors had the greatest potential to create employment, attract investment and accelerate inclusive economic growth.
Tshawuka said recommendations emerging from the strategic dialogue would guide future policy reforms, government programmes and investment priorities. He urged stakeholders to actively participate in discussions and build partnerships that would ensure the Agriculture Sector Review is translated into measurable results.
He said by embracing innovation, climate-smart agriculture, technology and value addition, Eswatini could build a modern and prosperous agricultural sector capable of delivering food security, creating jobs and improving the livelihoods of emaSwati.
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