THERE is need for agreement on what South Africa’s farming landscape should look like in the future as the country faces up to accelerating land redistribution and agricultural development, African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said on Thursday.
ANC heavyweights and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson met the Agricultural Sector Unity Forum — a body encompassing most of organised agriculture and labour — in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Mr Mantashe said the talks were part of a process to find "a coherent plan to deal with agriculture in South Africa. We want an agricultural sector that can sustain South Africa and provide food security."
The importance of agriculture entailed it being "the sector of the future". Decisions would be made on "how agriculture would look like in 20 years". This meant the tension between "bigger farms with fewer farmers" and the proliferation of small-scale farmers needed to be examined.
The forum’s chairwoman, Ntombi Msimang, said the forum was still "building trust" among its members, with the intention of moving past historical divisions on land issues.
The primary force for uniting diverse interests from large commercial farmers to smallholders, was the need for policy certainty, particularly on land reform, Ms Msimang said.
But Agriculture SA president Johannes Möller said land reform was only part of the policy certainty still required. However, there did appear to be a greater willingness to find "a co-operative approach" — due to the looming prospect of food insecurity.
South Africa’s competitiveness in agriculture and the declining balance of trade in agricultural exports spoke to the need for resolution on issues such as education, how to support small-scale farmers and the need to set tariff regimes.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Pieter Mulder said the government found it difficult to co-ordinate the many interventions needed in agriculture, ranging from the development of farmers to labour issues. The complexity meant "so many solutions" and the forum showed a resolve to speak with a single voice.
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