Mbabane – The Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, on Wednesday joined the rest of the world in commemorating World Pulses Day under the theme “Pulses of the World: from Modesty to Excellence.”
Acting Minister of Agriculture Sidney Simelane delivered the keynote address, speaking to the role pulses play in transforming food systems across the globe.
“The fundamental role they play in the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind,” Simelane said, adding that the occasion builds on the success of the International Year of Pulses in 2016, which was facilitated by the FAO. 
Simelane called on Emaswati to rethink how they view crops such as beans, groundnuts, jugobeans, peas and lentils, which have long been treated as secondary crops grown on small plots.
“Pulses are moving from modest backyard crops to excellent drivers of global sustainability. For generations, pulses were grown only as secondary crops on small plots. We must change how we view these humble beans, groundnuts, jugobeans, peas, and lentils; Eswatini is ready to elevate pulse production from subsistence farming to commercial excellence,” he said.
