THE FUSE

The Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) has hosted an Informal Traders Listening Session to engage with traders, understand the challenges they face and explore opportunities to strengthen their businesses. The session provided a platform for informal traders to share their experiences and discuss the support they need to grow their businesses. Their participation is important to the agricultural sector because informal traders help connect farmers with consumers, particularly in local communities. By creating opportunities for direct engagement, the department aims to better understand the needs of traders operating within agricultural and food value chains. The initiative highlights the importance of building stronger relationships between government, farmers and the people who help bring agricultural products to market.