Staff Reporter
The Comprehensive Agricultural Support (CASP) and the Ilima/Letsema grants will lose just under R50 million as more funds from this year’s provincial budget have been re-directed towards fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CASP grant has been reduced by about R32.8 million while that of Ilima/Letsema was cut by R17.1 million.
The provincial supplementary budget states that the funds from the conditional grants have been reprioritised towards COVID-19 response measures.
The adjustments are however expected to be temporary as agriculture and economic development will be reprioritised in the next financial year.
CASP is aimed providing post-settlement support to targeted beneficiaries of land reform as well as other producers who have acquired land through private means and are involved in value-adding enterprises or exports.
The Ilima/Letsema projects grant seeks to assist vulnerable black farming communities improve agricultural production.
Other budget cuts are:
- Community Library Services Grant loses R34.700 million;
- Mass Participation and Sport Development Grant is reduced by R11.552 million;
- R140.163 million is reprioritised away from Education Infrastructure Grant;
- R2.864 million is reprioritised from HIV and AIDS Grant;
- Maths, Science and Technology Grant is reduced by R5.069 million;
- Human Settlements and Title Restoration Grants are reduced by R100.817 million and R22.140 million respectively; and
- R219.198 million is reprioritised from Provincial Roads Maintenance Grant.
The net effect of this reprioritisation is the reduction of R461 million on the conditional grants allocated to the province in March 2020.