MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe delivers 2026 Agriculture Policy Speech, 25 Mar

Eastern Cape MEC for Agriculture, Ms Nonceba Kontsiwe, will deliver the Department’s 2026/27 Budget and Policy Speech on Wednesday, 25 March 2026, at the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature from 10:15.

The MEC is expected to outline the Department’s plans for infrastructure development, job creation, farmer support, the commercialisation of agriculture, and food production, contributing to the broader food security agenda of the province.

Policy Speeches follow the State of the Province Address (SOPA) delivered by the Premier, Mr Oscar Mabuyane, and the Budget Speech tabled by the MEC for Finance, Mr Mlungisi Mvoko, earlier this month.

In his SOPA, Premier Mabuyane acknowledged progress in the reduction of poverty in the Eastern Cape, declining from 36% in 2015 to 23% in 2023, according to Statistics South Africa’s Poverty Trends Report (2025).

The MEC is also expected to address key matters in the agriculture sector, including progress towards the establishment of a veterinary faculty to support skills development, the development of an export quarantine facility at the Dohne Agricultural Development Institute, and cannabis sector development.

Members of the media are invited to attend the event as follows:

Venue:    EC Provincial Legislature 
Date:    25 March 2026
Time:    10:15 am

For more information and to RSVP, please contact:

Mr Atule Joka 
Cell: 071 688 4231 

Mr Thozi Manyisana 
Cell: 063 183 9512

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