BY NOSIPHO MKHIZE | JOURNALIST
MANZINI – The National Agricultural Marketing Board (NAMBoard) has launched a nationwide series of Eswatini Horticulture Information System (EHIS) farmer workshops ahead of the start of mandatory registration on 1 May 2026, as the regulatory organisation prepares growers for compliance and wider use of the digital platform.
The workshops are targeting commercial horticulture farmers and are intended to raise awareness on how the system works, why registration matters, and how farmers can complete the process.
NAMBoard has positioned the outreach as a practical education drive rather than simply a compliance exercise, with farmers expected to receive direct guidance on registration and the role the platform will play in organising the sector.
According to the workshop schedule, the Hhohho session will be held at Gesawu on 22 April 2026, followed by the Shiselweni workshop at Nhlangano REO on 29 April 2026, while the Manzini workshop will take place at Mavuso Trade Centre on 7 May 2026. All sessions will begin at 8:30 am.
The workshops come as NAMBoard prepares for the rollout of compulsory registration on EHIS from 1 May 2026, a move expected to tighten coordination in the horticulture industry and improve access to reliable production data.
Sydney Dladla, NAMBoard Head of Agri-Business, said the roadshow had been organised mainly to raise awareness and ensure farmers fully understand the system before the compliance date takes effect.
“The purpose of these farmer workshops is to raise awareness and help farmers understand what EHIS is, how it works, and why it is important to their farming business,” said Dladla.
He said EHIS was designed to improve transparency and strengthen coordination in the horticulture sector by capturing credible farmer and production data that can be used for planning, marketing, and broader industry decision-making.
The workshops are expected to cover what EHIS is, how it works, the benefits of registration, and how the platform can support market access and production planning. Farmers will also be taken through the registration process step by step.
For growers, NAMBoard is presenting EHIS not only as an administrative requirement, but as a business tool that can improve visibility of produce, support structured market access and assist with production planning.
Dladla said interest in the platform was already growing, with 3,648 farmers currently registered on EHIS. He said the workshops were meant to build on that progress by giving farmers a chance to engage directly, ask questions, and receive practical support.
“We already have 3,648 farmers registered on EHIS, and these workshops are meant to deepen that progress by giving growers the opportunity to ask questions and get practical guidance on registration,” he said.
The workshops also come at a time when digital systems are playing an increasingly important role in agricultural compliance, planning, and market organisation, with regulators and industry players placing greater emphasis on traceability and structured data.
Notably, Lubombo is not included in the workshop schedule. Dladla said the decision was based on logistics, with farmers from the region expected to attend the Manzini session at Mavuso Trade Centre.
“Lubombo farmers were not left out. The decision was made on the basis that they can easily transport to Manzini, where the workshop will be held at Mavuso Trade Centre,” he said.
The workshops are open to all commercial horticulture farmers and form part of NAMBoard’s broader push to improve sector readiness ahead of mandatory registration. Through the sessions, farmers are expected to gain a clearer understanding of the information required during registration, including personal details, farm location, crop profiles, expected production volumes, and market preferences.
With the 1 May 2026 compliance date now confirmed, NAMBoard is urging farmers to use the remaining time to attend the workshops, familiarise themselves with the system, and prepare for registration.
The board says the move is aimed at supporting a more coordinated, transparent, and market-oriented horticulture sector, with EHIS expected to become a key tool in shaping future production and marketing decisions in Eswatini.
