The spokesperson for the Provincial Disaster Management Centre in the Free State, Markes Butler, is hopeful that it will stay this way till the end of the season. He urges communities to play their part in not starting any veld fires and to help in the “integrated fire management” approach that the team has adopted. Butler explains that the approach means everyone is involved in the fight against veld fires.

Young Farmers from the Lejweleputswa district have benefited from the Youth in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Recognition Programme by the Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. OFM News' Tshehla Koteli reports according to the department’s Facebook post, the two farmers, Pule Moeketsi from Hoopstad and Mthokozisi Dlamini from Theunissen, received assistance from the department to make their businesses a success.

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The rate of unemployment has decreased in the first quarter of 2022, according to StatsSA. However, the Value Chain Analytics from the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP), Louw Pienaar, has revealed that the agricultural sector did not play a big part in providing job creation in the first quarter. This could be because agricultural jobs are highly seasonal – the sector is not favoured by this season. Over 800 000 jobs in the sector were provided in the first quarter of 2022, which is 6.5% higher than in 2021.

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