MBABANE – The National Maize Corporation (NMC) has awarded tenders worth about E15.34 million to local companies in preparation for the upcoming farming season.
According to the corporation, the procurement covers the supply and delivery of tractor parts, farming implements, consumables, lubricants and tractor tyres.
Chief Executive Officer Mavela Vilane has described this procurement as a decisive move towards ensuring Eswatini achieves food sovereignty.
All the winning companies are locally owned and were among those invited to participate in the competitive bidding process. Vilane said the evaluation process was rigorous and aimed at identifying the most capable suppliers to deliver ahead of the season’s commencement.
He explained that the procurement drive is part of the NMC’s readiness strategy to ensure that all government tractors are fully operational as soon as the first rains are received. “We are entrusted with managing the tractor hire service and farming input programmes on behalf of government. This procurement ensures that our equipment is ready so we can get to work immediately,” he said. The NMC currently has a fleet of 228 tractors, of which 201 are ready for use. Vilane said one of the major challenges in the past had been a shortage of planters. The corporation owns 55 planters, 27 of which are currently functional, including 12 that were part of a batch of 50 purchased from India, but initially failed to operate. “We have repaired those 12 planters, which will now be used this season,” he said, adding that this would significantly improve service delivery to farmers.
Given that the NMC’s fleet is not sufficient to service the entire country, Vilane said they have once again engaged private tractor owners who lease their equipment to the corporation. Both the tractors and their drivers will be tested for quality and readiness before deployment.
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