The Northern Cape MEC for Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Mr Norman Shushu will advance the empowerment of women, by honouring the best Female Entrepreneurs for their outstanding role in agriculture’s economic sector and the promotion of household food security.

MEC Shushu together with four other MEC’s will bestow the honours at the gala awards ceremony in Kimberley , Francis Baard District on the 07th August 2014.

The Female Entrepreneur Awards ceremony is an annual event to acknowledge the contribution of women in agriculture and poverty eradication. It is an instrument through which women’s contribution to the fight against poverty is being recognized. It also seeks to appreciate women who are leaving an indelible mark in the sector.  

The Department’s adjudication process in this year’s Awards ended with 47 participants and only 31 will set to vie for glory in the following categories; 

• Best Female worker in the sector
• Best subsistence producer
• Top Entrepreneur: Smallholder
• Top Entrepreneur: Processing
• Top Entrepreneur: Export
• MEC Special Awards
  • Youth
  • Disabled
• Overall Winner

The prize-money for the Best Female Worker is R50 000, Best Subsistence Producer category is R75, 000 whilst Top Entrepreneur- Smallholder, Top Entrepreneur- Commercial, is R125, 000 in each category, The MEC special Awards for both youth and the disabled are R50, 000 each, while the overall winner will pocket R250 00, 000.  

The total money at stake for this year’s Female Entrepreneur Awards is

R1 310 000. The winners will represent the province at the National Female Entrepreneur Awards that will be held on the 22nd August 2014 at Mahikeng in the North West Province. The awards are also part of  celebrating  women’s month.

Members of the media are invited to the event and details are as follows;

Venue   : Mitta Seperepere Convention Centre (Kimberley)
Time    : 17h00
Date    : 07 August 2014

For accreditation and enquiries please do call;

Mr Phemelo Manankong –External Communications Officer @ 071 8895 112/072 215 7848

Mr Ali Diteme – Media Liaison Officer @ 083 452 9851/ 053 838 9100

Directorate: Communications Services – Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.

EDITORS NOTES

Competition background

The Female Entrepreneur Awards is an instrument through which women’s contribution to the fight against poverty is being recognized and encouraged. The competition acknowledges women as the lifeline of society and the custodians of food security whose role is critical, in improving the quality and quantity of agricultural products through improved delivery, innovation and excellence. The programme was initiated in 1999 by the former Department of Agriculture and it was called the Female Farmer of Year Competition. 

This initiative seeks to:

• Acknowledge the contribution of women to agriculture and poverty eradication.
• To appreciate females who are leaving an indelible mark in this once male dominated sector sector.
• Enable and courage women to have the same opportunities and access to resources.
• Prevent a decline in the province’s agricultural sector’s growth by encouraging the entry of new farmers and to ensure an improved food production.
• Combat inequities by soliciting support from various quarters of the industry such as financial institutions and agricultural specialist and;
• Provide the platform through which women in agriculture, women in forestry and women in fisheries can share their experience, challenges and success, and learn from one another.