Nelspruit — Mpumalanga farmers will soon have access to all the advice and technical facilities they need to make a success of farming.

The Mpumalanga Food Technology Centre will be established at the Lowveld Agricultural College in Nelspruit by April next year.

"The support at the centre will include qualified experts, such as marketing specialists and food technologists," said deputy director general of the Maputo Development Corridor flagship project, Blessing Manale.

He said agricultural entrepreneurs would be shown how to add value to their raw produce.

They will be able to get advice, training and information and even access to laboratory and manufacturing services.

"Entrepreneurs will be able to use the facility to manufacture food products according to the highest quality and hygiene standards without having to make an expensive investment into equipment and infrastructure," Mr Manale explained.

Chairperson of the Nkomazi Agricultural Development Organisation, Petrus Sithole, welcomed the initiative.

"This is a long-awaited project that will enable farmers to compete in the agri-business industry," he said, adding that the centre would also bring services closer to local farmers.

"We will not have to travel to other cities when our crops need to be processed and this will encourage farmers who were about to quit farming due to poor market," he said.