Agri SA vra vir stabiele leierskap om belegging aan te wakker

 AGRI SA CALLS FOR STABLE LEADERSHIP TO INSTALL CONFIDENCE – English below

 18 Desember/December 2017

 Agri SA vra vir stabiele leierskap om belegging aan te wakker

 Agri SA wens vir Cyril Ramaphosa geluk met sy verkiesing as die ANC se nuwe president en David Mabuza as vise-president tydens die party se 54ste nasionale konferensie.

Namens die landbousektor wens ons die ANC en sy leierskap sterkte toe. Ons besef dat die land se regerende party `n uitdagende taak in die gesig staar om `n beleggersvriendelike omgewing deur stabiele leierskap te skep.

Agri SA wil graag die ANC-leierskap verseker dat ons organisasie, as verteenwoordiger van die landbousektor, hulle sal ondersteun in alle pogings om `n welvarende landbousektor te skep, soos uitgestip in die Nasionale Ontwikkelingsplan (NOP).

Ons sien uit daarna om saam met die nuutverkose ANC-leierskap te werk om die landbousektor te groei. Die landbou het `n reusebydrae gelewer tot die land se herstel ná die resessie en ons wil dít graag onder die ANC-leierskap se aandag bring. Die landboubedryf het met 38,7% in die tweede kwartaal en 44,2% in die derde kwartaal gegroei. Dit was die grootste kwartaallikse sprong in landbouproduksie in meer as 20 jaar. Die regering behoort deeglik kennis te neem van die landboubedryf.

Terwyl Agri SA op die landbou fokus, is dit ook baie belangrik dat die regering dringend aandag gee aan die volgende aspekte om ons land vorentoe te neem:

1. Landelike veiligheid:
2. Die erns van voortgesette gewelddadige aanvalle en misdaad gemik op die boerderygemeenskap behoort die prioriteitaandag te kry wat dit verdien. Die regering moet ook die misdaadvlakke wat alle Suid-Afrikaners teister doelgerig aanspreek.
3. Grondhervorming:
4. Ons is voorstanders van `n volhoubare grondbeleidsomgewing wat beleggersvertroue in die landbousektor aanwakker en geleenthede skep vir alle Suid-Afrikaners wat tot die landboubedryf wil toetree. Onlangse navorsing het getoon dat die grondmark steeds doeltreffend funksioneer en gebruik kan word om grondhervorming te dryf. Agri SA doen ook `n beroep op die ANC-leierskap om werkbare grondhervormingsbeleid en -wetgewing behoorlik te implementeer.
5. Die ekonomie:
6. Dit is belangrik dat ons sukkelende ekonomie groei. Dít vereis sterk leierskap, beleggersvertroue en die uitwissing van korrupsie, asook respek vir die Grondwet en die onafhanklikheid van ons Artikel Nege-instellings en die regbank. Verder het ons ook doelgerigte optrede nodig om die NOP te implementeer en die nodige werksgeleenthede te skep om armoede en werkloosheid aan te spreek.

Ten slotte doen ons `n beroep op die ANC-leierskap om `n goeie balans te handhaaf tussen die ontwikkeling van beleid wat fokus op maatskaplike uitkomste en beleid wat belegging sal lok en ekonomiese groei en voedselsekerheid in die land sal bewerkstellig. Die landbousektor speel reeds `n onvervangbare rol in die land se ekonomie en ons het nou beleid nodig wat groei in dié sektor bevorder.

Uitgereik deur Agri SA, Direktoraat:  Korporatiewe Skakeling

AGRI SA CALLS FOR STABLE LEADERSHIP TO INSTALL CONFIDENCE

Agri SA wishes to congratulate Cyril Ramaphosa as the newly elected president and David Mabuza as newly elected deputy president of the ANC during the party’s 54^th national conference.

On behalf of the agricultural sector, we extend our well wishes to the ANC and the party’s leadership. We acknowledge that the country’s governing party has a daunting task ahead to create an investor-friendly environment through stable leadership.

Agri SA wants to assure the ANC’s leadership that our organisation, as representative of the agricultural sector, will support them in endeavours to create a prosperous agricultural sector as envisaged in the National Development Plan (NDP).

We look forward to engaging with the newly elected ANC leadership on growing the agricultural sector. Agriculture had a mammoth share in helping the country to recover from the recession and we would like to bring this under the ANC leadership’s attention. After recording an increase of 38,7% in the second quarter, agriculture powered ahead and expanded by 44,2% in the third quarter. This is the largest quarterly jump in agricultural production in more than 20 years. Agriculture is an industry that the government should seriously take note of.

While our focus is on agriculture, it is also of great importance that the following issues should receive the urgent attention of the governing party to take our country forward

1. Rural safety:

The seriousness of the continued, violent attacks and criminality against the farming community should receive the priority attention it deserves. The government must address the levels of crime plaguing all South Africans with vigour.

2. Land reform:

We advocate for the creation of a sustainable land policy environment, which installs investor confidence in the agricultural sector and creates opportunities for all South Africans who want to enter the agricultural industry. Recent research showed the land market still functions effectively and can be used to drive land reform. Agri SA further calls on the ANC’s leadership to properly implement workable land reform policies and laws.

3. The economy:

Our struggling economy needs to grow and to achieve this we need solid leadership, investor confidence and the eradication of corruption, as well as respect for the Constitution and the independence of our Chapter Nine institutions and the judiciary. We need assertive action to implement the NDP and to create the necessary jobs to alleviate poverty and joblessness.

In closing, we wish to emphasise that the ANC leadership should work towards striking a fine balance between the development of policies that focus on the achievement of social outcomes and policies that attract investment, bring about economic growth and food security. Agriculture already plays an irreplaceable role in the country’s economy and we now need policies conducive to the sector’s growth.

Issued by Agri SA, Directorate:  Corporate Liaison