Government's responsibility in the Agricultural sector lies /primarily with the Ministry of Agriculture. The obligation of the Ministry of Agricultureis to ensure household food security and increased sustainable agricultural productivity through dlversification and enhancement of commercial agricultural activities.  The Ministry is also responsible for the formation of appropriate technologies and efficient extension services while ensuring stakeholder participation and sustainable development and management of natural resources in the country.

 In line with the country's National Development strategy and other national policies as well as other sub-regional agreements' the SWAZlLAND Government will pursue the following initiatives In the sector of agriculture:

 AGRlCULTURE AND EXTENSION

 The government will vigorously pursue the goal of food security and general improvement in agricultural productivity by pursuing the following policy interventions:

(i) Promote diversification of crop production' particularly shifting away from monocropping involving maize and sugarcane. Diversification will involve other food crops such as sweet potatoes' cassava and sorghum as well as high value crops like irrigated cotton, mushrooms' seed development (cotton' maize and beans) and baby vegetables.

(ii) Correct the problem of high soil acidity in the highveld' Middleveld and Lubombo plateau. This will be achieved through a massive capital project involving liming.

(iii) Develop a comprehensive water resource initiative for agriculture. This will involve the expansion of the earth dam construction programme in the lowveld to the Middleveld and highveld areas so that food and cash crop production is intensified in these areas.

(iv)  Provide greater economic access to agricultural inputs by specific vulnerable groups of farmers and communities in our society. The supply of basic agricultural inputs has been realised in SADC as a more cost effective way as opposed to food aid.

(v) Remove monopoly in the importation of agricultural inputs from manufacturing companies. This will be done by negotiating with governments of neighbouring countries where inputs are manufactured. lf this is achieved; the cost of inputs will be lowered thereby allowing for better chances of attaining food security and higher agricultural productivity.

(vi) Adopt a massive fruit tree-growling programme in the whole of Swaziland with the direct assistance of the government.

(vii) Re-orient the extension service by adopting a more business approach. This will be achieved through an intensive in-service training programme for both extension workers and farmers. Emphasis will be on sharpening technical and business skills as well as inculcating efficient supervision and stronger discipline.

(viii) Improve the marketing of agricultural commodities particularly maize' fruits and vegetables. .This will be achieved through restructuring institutions such as the National Agricultural Marketing Board so that these facilitate the marketing of crops.

(ix) in line with the recent ruling of the SADC Heads of state and Government' the Government of the KlNGDOM of Swaziland will, over the next five years' increase the budget to the Ministry of Agriculture and co-operatives to 10% of the national budget.

(x) Within forestry' the Government will aggressively pursue the rational growling of wattle trees. currently wattle trees are growling as jungles.

(xi) Government will promote eco-tourism through the establishment of a botanical garden.

(xii) Government will also pursue an aggressive fresh-water fisheries development by, among other things' developing more fish hatcheries for supplying fingerlings to communities and assisting farmers to construct more fish ponds

VETERINARY AND LIVESTOCK SERVICES

Government's primary function within the National veterinary services is the protection of livestock from territorial and trans-boundary animal diseases' which adversely affect livestock production and therefore negatively impact on food security. Furthermore' certain animal diseases are of public health consequence and impede trade in livestock and livestock products with negative impact on the national economy and household health and well being. such protection creates an enabling environment for the optimal production of various commercial livestock enterprises amongst the smallholder sector.

For the desired mid-term outputs in this regard' Government will pursue the following policy interventions;

(i) intensify and ensure the territorial integrity of various livestock disease control and prevention measures' with the view of eradicating some of the diseases in the long term. This will entail improvement of points of entry controls and Tran frontier cordon fence inspections' establishment of strategic quarantine stations and the preparation and dissemination of bulletins and brochures

(ii) on selected animal disease control and prevention programmes for purposes of transparency and optimum stakeholder cooperation.

(iii) strengthen and enhance disease surveillance and monitor capacity. and epidemiological data information management. particularly on trans-boundary diseases. as/ a form of National Early warning system. This will entail the/ updating of the Animal Diseases Act (1967) and the full operationalisation of the veterinary epidemiology unit and its linkage to the SADC regional epidemiology focal point in Namibia as well as the preparation of Animal Disease Emergency Preparedness Plans (EPP's).

Improve disease diagnostic efficiency and animal health care delivery inclusive of stakeholder disease awareness campaigns. This will entail capacity building in laboratory technology and management and the upgrading of laboratory equipment to minimum regional accreditation standards for diagnostic laboratories and to ensure rapid feedback of results to stakeholders.

(iv) Institute and effect an appropriate national livestock identification system. compatible with similar regional systems for the traceability of animal diseases and enhancement of trade.

(v) Ensure acceptable standards of sanitation and hygiene for food of animal origin in line with international standards to minimise public health hazards and zoonosis. and to enable product access to international markets. This will entail the finalisation and passing of the veterinary public health legislation and its enforcement.

(vi) promote the production and marketing of high quality poultry. pigs, goats. sheep. dairy and beef cattle to ensure food security. create employment. alleviate poverty. raise standards of living of the rural population and mitigate against HIV/AIDS through increased white meat intake. This will entail the establishment of livestock development and marketing programs in five pilot sites around the country and their extension to new sites. as well as the establishment of a piggery abattoir and processing plant in Mpaka.

Poultry

To promote the production of poultry. Government will do everything in its power to secure funds to revive Mfumbaneni hatchery where smallholder farmers will source high quality day old chicks at affordable prices. on the other hand' indigenous chicken

promotion will simultaneously be carried out through vigorous training of smallholder farmers on all aspects of indigenous chicken production.

Government will work out a long-term lasting solution to remove the current problematic monopoly in the sourcing of day-old chicks and point of lay birds and the difficult marketing of broilers encountered by smallholder poultry farmers.

Goats

Goat production will be promoted through breeding and selection of high quality bucks that will be sold to smallholder farmers to upgrade their stock.  Government will also construct pilot goat sale yards attached to existing cattle sale yards to monitor monthly auction goat sales to facilitate their marketing.  On the other hand, Government will work with all interested parties to secure funds to construct an abattoir for goats to facilitate their marketing.

Piggery

Pig farmers will also be trained in the processing of pig/meat. Government will source funds for the construction of a pig abattoir.

(vii) Strive to conserve the grazing resource, fight range plant alien invasive species and promote intensive beef and dairy production. In view of the degradation and ever shrinking of rangeland, Government will train and encourage farmers to stock their grazing areas according to grazing capacity, cull and sell unproductive stock and engage in commercial feedlotting of their cattle to conserve and optimise use of land. In the same vein, farmers will also be encouraged to start stall feeding their dairy herds and grow

fodder for their dairy stock. Government will soon use the combination of bush cutting and chemical control to control the most notorious range plant alien invasive species' chromolaena odorata' at Nkalashane sisa Ranch as a pilot phase.

(viii) Facilitate marketing of milk and dairy products through training and encouraging farmers to start moving from sheer production to processing of milk.

(ix) Create an enabling environment for all stakeholders for the production' marketing and trade in animals and animal products through appropriate legislation and harmonisation with international standards. This will entail the enactment and enforcement of the livestock development and marketing act.

LAND USE PLANNING

Government will continue to guide the rational and sustainable utilization of the land resource' by ensuring that the land is used to its best potential while at the same time safe guarding it from deterioration.

In complying with the above policy Government will, in the next five years, be engaged in the following:

( i ) Reorganizing the land uses in rural areas in an effort to ensure that land is used to its best potential. This will be achieved by undertaking a resettlement programme wherein one or two areas will be resettled annually.

(ii) In resettled areas communities will be encouraged to adhere to livestock carrying capacities of their rangelands and to integrate soil conservation measures in their agricultural practices.

(iii)  Furthermore, degraded land will be reclaimed through a land rehabilitation programme which will involve enclosing badly/severely degraded areas. putting in place soil conservation structures and resting the land to allow for natural healing to occur.

(iv) To add value to the land resource. where possible. :government will construct structures for providing irrigation water e.g. dams' diversion weirs' etc. such a move will allow the intensification of farming in certain land parcels.      

(v) Government will also provide infrastructure in resettled areas that will enable easy movement of inputs and outputs. Infrastructure such as roads and electricity, to name but a few, are a prerequisite for any meaningful business establishment.  Hence, their availability will encourage the initiation of small business ventures.

AGRICUL TURAL RESEARCH

Under Agricultural Research, Government will pursue the following policy interventions:

(i) Rehabilitate the Agricultural Research station,  Malkerns, Lowveld station and relocate Nhlangano Experimental Farm in order to create a conducive working environment and enhance the performance of the Division. This will include the rehabilitation of buildings. roads. laboratories and equipment.

(ii) Ensure that all agricultural research division staff is upgraded to a higher level of education in line with the rest of SADC states and other parts of the world. This will be through long. medium and short term training of staff.

(iii ) Intensify adaptlve / applled agricultural research in an effort to identify suitable crop varieties for the different agro-ecological zones with emphasis to drought tolerant crops as well as nontraditional crops like mushrooms.

(iv) Enact a Biosafety Law and related guidelines which will be consistent with existing national legislation and in harmony with already enacted international convention (e.g. convention on Biodiversity . cartagena protocol. international Treaty on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. international plant protection convention. codex Alimentarlus. etc). This will be done in order to regulate import and export of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

(v) strengthen phytosanltary capabilities in the country in order to facilitate export and import of agricultural produce. This will be through the review of the plant control Act. of 1981 and training of relevant personnel.

(vi) strengthen an on-farm seed production by supplying clean basic seeds for open-pollinated crops. This is done to avail such seeds to farmers since seed producers are reluctant to produce the seed.

(vii) certify/check lf food safety standards ~had quality are adhered to.  This will be through the enactment of a Food Bill and provision of appropriate equipment (Food science and Technology Laboratory).

(viii) Establish an efficient and integrated agricultural research service that will have close linkages with extension non-governmental organizations' parastatals' private sector and other stakeholders.

ECONOMIC PLANNING & ANALYSIS

Government will stalls and optimise the scale and economic significance of agriculture so that rural areas will not only have productive functions' but also environmental and social ones. This will be made possible through the provision of socioeconomic analysis and planning support to implement agricultural development programmes and projects including those notated by the general public. in the mid-term Government will also pursue the following:

(l ) Improve the provision of advance information on food security prospects in the country at both national and household level through proper assessments of expected production' food supplies and food requirements. The National Early warning unlit will be established and capacitated as a stand alone institution.

(ii ) Develop an effective marketing and information system. This entails the provision of relevant and timely market information, which is a prerequisite in enhancing market efficiency. This will be necessary in enabling smallholder farmers to compete in increasingly concentrated domestic, regional and international markets. Food markets will be improved such that they are able to respond to the needs of populations that are demanding more diverse products of higher quality and value. Government will also initiate in collaboration with parastatals, an intensive programme that will encourage farmers to produce high quality products destined for the export market.

(iii ) strengthen the cooperation in agricultural trade within the region and beyond.     Harmonisation of trade regulations will prove necessary to facilitate agricultural commodity flows within the dictates of the world Trade organisations. Government will also develop capacity for participating objectively in the on-going WTO negotiations on Agriculture.

(iv) conduct the necessary policy analyses on agricultural interventions and provide economic advice to stakeholders including parastatals in the agricultural sector.

(v) prepare and up-date crop and livestock enterprise profitability handbooks for use by Government staff and farmers from both commercial and smallholder sub-sectors

(vi) For an effective implementation of all public investment

programmes and projects' Government will continue to monitor and evaluate her activities in an effort to ensure that all her developmental goals are attained.