Farming sector calls on consultation with Steenhuisen over new Master Plan

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Cape Town — South Africa’s farming community has expressed concern over Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen’s plans to go ahead with the Agricultural and Agro-Processing Master Plan.

Steenhuisen did not consult farmers over this plan, which would promote growth, competitiveness, transformation, employment, and food security through equitable and inclusive job-creating activities, The Citizen reported.

This would enable more inclusion and participation of small-scale and emerging farmers, which will strengthen rural livelihoods through employment-intensive farming, the report said.

The plan will focus on five pillars that include accountability, professionalism, recruitment, reskilling and reorientation, and provision of information communication technology and other resources.

The farmers expressed concern that the plan was ideologically driven and questioned the transformation policy, with fears that it would suffer the same fate as state entities like Transnet and South African Airways.

A joint statement from the TLU SA, Wildlife Ranching SA, NEASA, and the Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai) expressed concern over the implementation of the current plan, questioning the proposed regulations and plans for transformation.
Saai chair, Theo de Jager said the unacceptable principles under ANC management were not suddenly acceptable just because they are now under DA management. He said farmers expected Steenhuisen to correct the course after the destruction of the agriculture sector under ANC rule.

TLU SA general manager, Bennie Van Zyl, echoed de Jager’s sentiments and said the direction under the ANC was unacceptable, and there is a concern if the Government of National Unity (GNU) maintains the same path as the ANC,

“Steenhuisen must revitalise the agricultural environment with fresh economic principles – that is what South Africa needs.”

Van Zyl said Steenhuisen’s perception that the plan includes a wide buy-in was false and that there was nothing inclusive about the drafting of his plan.

“Apart from family farmers, game farmers, agricultural employers and consumers who were deliberately excluded, some participants like TLU SA were excluded later because the organisation questioned the implementation of transformation as cadre deployment,” he said.

Van Zyl said farmers have learned to survive the ANC and get by without a functional department in the past 30 years and also expressed concern that the

“We are concerned that “There is stuff about transformation that hasn’t been cleared up. We all feel that this plan needs adjustments and are in discussion with the department about it,” he said.

Van Zyl said at least Steenhuisen understood the economy and had an open-door approach.

“There is nothing wrong with the pillars in the plan, but we want to know what defines transformation and the implications,” he said.

Free State farmer, Tewie Wessels, said ministers have made the mistake of being out of touch with the work that happens on the ground and that there is no discussion with farmers over their needs.

Wessels said Steenhuisen should tour the country talk to the farmers of the different regions and then start planning.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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