FABCO annual meeting a great success
The Farmers Business Cooperative Limited (FABCO) held it's annual general meeting at Hotel@Tzaneen on Thursday.
FABCO is a hybrid primary agricultural cooperative based in Tzaneen. FABCO was launched last year in March by farmers with a sole purpose of minimizing the costs of production and link farmers with high-end markerts.
This is its first annual meeting. Acting MEC of Agriculture Nandi Ndalane was also at the meeting. The theme for the general meeting was empowerment of farmers through transformation of agricultural retail sector where various stakeholders where called in to talk to the emerging farmers. Land Bank and Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries were among those who had a one on one with the local farmers.
According to the chairperson Oupa Mathebula, FABCO is planning to open a warehouse at Nkowankowa for farm produce where fresh fruits and vegetables are to be kept for bulk sales and the warehouse will also be selling agricultural supplies to local emerging farmers.
“The MEC of Economic Development Seaparo Sekaoti and I have already instructed our senior officials to work with FABCO to ensure that the warehouse in Nkowankowa as proposed by FABCO is implemented in the 2015/2016 financial year’ said Ndalane.
The acting MEC expressed her delight in the implementation of FABCO, “we are indeed excited with the establishment of FABCO. For many years we had farmers complaining about the high cost of production and low prices they receive when they sell. FABCO demonstrated with figures and proposed the best solution to the problem” added Ndalane.
The day was indeed a success and the attendance was positive.
“I would like to thank all stakeholders who helped us make today possible. It is a privilege to be supported by big organizations like Department of Agriculture. For a first inaugural meeting we didn’t expect the attendance to be this big and we would like to thank you as FABCO. To all farmers who donated fruits and vegetables to make our podium look this colourful we thank you” said Mathebula. Department of agriculture, Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), Greater Tzaneen Municipality, GTEDA, Land Bank, Greater Tzaneen FM sponsored the annual meeting. FABCO has service centres in Nwamitwa, Lenyenye, Berlyn and Tzaneen, which have representatives so that when farmers have pleas they can contact the relevant people to take their pleas to the cooperative board.
