Agriculture
(1) Whether he and his Department supported wine farmers in the province in order to mitigate the losses suffered because of COVID-19 regulations; if so, in what respects were the wine industry supported;
(2) whether he and his Department are aware of any initiatives or special support programmes undertaken by the national Department of Agriculture, or any other national departments, in order to mitigate the damage to the wine industry by the ban on transport, sales, and so forth, due to COVID-19 regulations; if so, what are the relevant details?
(a) During the 2020/21 financial year, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture has introduced the following two initiatives:
a) Provide a once-off stipend for three months to 1 336 wine tourism workers in the Western Cape.
b) Provide support to producers and brand owners in the Industry through the Producer and Brand Owner Protection Support Grant.
Over the longer term, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture will continue to support the Wine Industry with a range of projects. These projects includes:
a) Support Wines of South Africa (WOSA) to promote local wines abroad.
b) Support the Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trade Association (WIETA) to increase farmers adhering to the code of ethical practices.
c) Train students in viticulture and oenology. Indeed, Elsenburg College is one of only two institutions in South Africa where the art of winemaking can be studied.
(2) Over a number of years the National Government has made grants available through the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP). Through the Wine Commodity approach, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture has used the CASP money to assist a number of primary producers and brand owners over the past number of years.
