Die sukses van Minister Didiza se planne hang af van suksesvolle samewerking tussen openbare en private sektor |Success of Minister Didiza plans depends on successful collaboration between public and private sector

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13 Mei 2021

Agri SA verwelkom die erkenning van minister Thoko Didiza van die kritieke rol van kommersiële landbou om voedsel vir alle Suid-Afrikaners en vir ander wêrelddele te verseker. Die noue samewerking tussen die Ministerie en die landbousektor sowel as die tydige ingrypings deur die Minister self, was van groot waarde gedurende 2020 toe die bedryf voor ernstige uitdagings te staan gekom het as gevolg van die inperkings. Hiervoor bedank ons haar.

Die landbouvooruitsigte vir hierdie jaar lyk goed, maar die sektor staar verskillende uitdagings in die gesig. Soos prysstygings van kunsmis en ander insette, uitdagings in die logistieke sektor, gebrekkige dienslewering deur sommige DRDLR-personeel, gebrek aan koördinasie tussen staatsdepartemente, toenemende misdaad in landelike gebiede en gebrek aan ondersteuning aan kommersiële boere in droogtegeteisterde gebiede en diegene wat negatief geraak word deur oorstromings en gebrek aan finansiering deur die Land Bank.

Terwyl die Minister groot klem gelê het op die rol wat haar departement speel in die ondersteuning van nuwe boere en die ingrypings wat verband hou met ander ondersteuningsmaatreëls, moet steun aan die kommersiële sektor ook in gelyke mate beskikbaar gestel word. Die groei in die kommersiële sektor mag nie as vanselfsprekend aanvaar word nie en moet nie as ‘n aanduiding beskou word dat alles goed en wel in hierdie sektor is nie.

Landbou is ‘n hoërisiko-onderneming en kommersiële landbou is veral blootgestel aan die wisselvalligheid van wêreldmarkte en die vernietigende impak van baie ander veranderlikes. In hierdie verband doen ons ‘n beroep op die Minister om voortdurend met die kommersiële sektor in gesprek te tree in ‘n poging om die uitdagings waarmee kommersiële boere te doen het, die hoof te bied.

Die sukses van die aksieplanne wat deur die Minister aangekondig is, hang af van suksesvolle implementering, monitering, evaluering, deurlopende assessering en ondersteuning. In hierdie verband kan die private sektor ‘n groot rol speel, maar dit moet van meet af aan boord geneem word. Dit is ook belangrik dat ooreenkomste tussen die openbare en private sektor op ‘n regs- en kommersiële grondslag sin maak. Die kommersialiseringsmodel deur Tiger Brands waarna die minister in haar toespraak verwys het, is ‘n voorbeeld hiervan.

Kommoditeitsorganisasies en provinsiale organisasies wat kommersiële boere regoor Suid-Afrika verteenwoordig, sowel as individuele kommersiële boere, implementeer reeds jare lank sulke kommersiële modelle met groot sukses.

Sommige van die aksieplanne deur die Minister omvat plase vir verskillende begunstigdes. Hoe sal hierdie begunstigdes ondersteun word? Deur wie sal hulle opgelei word? Wat is die maatreëls wat ingestel sal word om te verseker dat hul verblyfreg verseker word? En hoe sal hulle met kommoditeitsstrukture vir deurlopende ondersteuning en toegang tot markte geïntegreer word?

In hierdie opsig verwelkom Agri SA die aankondiging deur die Minister dat die aktekantoor aangewend sal word om te verseker dat plaashuurkontrakte wat vir boere geoormerk is, geregistreer word om sekerheid vir finansiële instellings en belangstellende beleggers te skep.

Agri SA doen ook ‘n beroep op die Minister om diegene wat verantwoordelik is vir die kaping van plase vir eie gewin, behoorlik te ondersoek. Die Rakgase, Cloete en Zigana gevalle is bewys dat alles nie pluis is nie. Alhoewel die stelsel van eiendomsbestuur van die departement opgeknap moet word, moet alles gedoen word om korrupsie uit te roei en onbevoegde personeel uit die stelsel te verwyder. Die gebrek aan aanspreeklikheid en sanksies moet dringend aangespreek word.

Die besonderhede van beleidsrigtings, soos die beleid oor grondskenkings, moet breedvoerig oor met die kommersiële sektor geraadpleeg word. So ‘n beleid moet gekoppel word aan die Agri SEB-telkaart en ook op ander aansporings gebaseer word. Hierin lê ‘n geweldige geleentheid om die stadige tempo van grondhervorming aan te spreek. Maar dit moet so verpak word dat dit groter sekerheid en beskerming verleen aan bestaande kommersiële boere.

In terme van die ondersteuningsprogramme vir werkstimulasie wat in 2020 ingestel is, sowel as die ondersteuning wat aan bestaansboere verleen word, moet die Minister ondersoek instel na die oënskynlike voorvalle van bedrog wat verband hou met die koepons vir noodverligting. Dit geld ook vir die geld wat aan Agri Parks bestee is, wat in die meeste gevalle nie behoorlik funksioneer nie en in ‘n staat van verval is.

Behoorlike monitering en evaluering moet strategieë vergesel wat verband hou met die indiensneming van veldbeamptes, die aangekondigde reguleringsdienste om aangeleenthede rakende bioveiligheid aan te spreek, die indiensneming van 50 tegnici vir dieregesondheid en die nuwe produksiefasiliteit vir die vervaardiging van bek en klouseer-inentings.

Die Landbank bly ‘n groot bekommernis, sowel as die onsekerheid rondom die Wetsontwerp op Onteiening en die voorgestelde wysiging van Artikel 25 van die nasionale Grondwet. Enige poging om produktiewe plase en grond in die algemeen sonder vergoeding te onteien, sal nie net die groei van die sektor die afgelope paar jaar en in die toekoms ondermyn nie, maar dit sal die ekonomie van Suid-Afrika en sy posisie in die internasionale wêreld vernietig.

Ons vertrou dat die Gemengde Finansiering Skema (BFS) die verwagte private finansiering sal hefboom om beleggings te ondersteun wat landbouproduksie, landbouverwerking en omvattende grondverkryging deur swart produsente sal ontsluit en verbeter. Hierdie proses moet ook noukeurig gemoniteer en bestuur word om te verhoed dat mense met bedrieglike voornemens die plan korrupteer. Kommersiële landbou beskou hierdie skema en kommersiële vennootskappe as ‘n alternatief tot onteiening sonder vergoeding.

Navrae:

Christo van der Rheede

Agri SA Uitvoerende Direkteur

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13 May 2021

Agri SA welcomes the acknowledgement by Minister Thoko Didiza of the critical role of commercial agriculture in securing food for all South Africans and other parts of the world. The close collaboration between the Ministry and the agricultural sector as well as the timely interventions by the Minister herself was of great help during 2020 when the industry faced severe challenges caused by the lockdown. For this we applaud her.

The agricultural prospects for this year look good, but the sector faces various challenges such as increases in the price of inputs, challenges in the logistics sector, lack of responsiveness by some DRDLR staff, lack of co-ordination between government departments, rising criminality in rural areas and lack of support to commercial farmers in drought-stricken areas and those negatively affected by floods and lack of funding from the Land Bank.

Whilst the Minister has placed huge emphasis on the role that her Department is playing in terms of supporting new farmers and the interventions related to other support measures, support to the commercial sector must be made available in equal measures. The growth in the commercial sector must not be taken for granted and should not be regarded as an indicator that everything is good and well in this sector.

Agriculture is a high risk business and commercial agriculture especially is exposed to the volatility of global markets and the destructive impact of many other variables. In this regard, we appeal to the Minister to engage continuously with the commercial sector in an effort to address the challenges that commercial farmers also face.

The success of the action plans announced by the Minister depends on successful implementation, monitoring, evaluation and continuous assessment and support. In this regard, the private sector can play a huge role, but it needs to be taken on board right from the start. Moreso agreements between the public and private sector must make legal and commercial sense. The commercialization model by Tiger Brands which the Minister referred to in her speech, is a case in point.

Commodity organisations and provincial organisations representing commercial farmers all over South Africa as well as individual commercial farmers have been establishing such commercial models with great success for many years already.

Some of the action plans by the Minister include farms to various beneficiaries. How will these beneficiaries be supported? By whom will they be trained? What are the measures that will be put in place to ensure that their tenure rights will be secured? And how will they be integrated into commodity structures for continuous support and access to markets?

In this respect, Agri SA welcomes the announcement by the Minister that the Deeds Registry will be employed to ensure that farm leases that are earmarked for farmers are registered in order to create certainty for financial institutions and interested investors.

Agri SA also appeals to the Minister to properly investigate those responsible for highjacking farms for their personal gain. The Rakgase, Cloete and Zigana cases, is a case in point. Whilst there is a need to overhaul the department’s system of property management, everything must be done to root out corruption and incompetent staff. The lack of accountability and consequence management must be addressed as a matter of urgency.

The details of policies such as the Land Donations Policy requires extensive consultation with the commercial sector. Such a policy must be linked to the Agri BEE scorecard as must also be premised on other incentives as well. Herein lies a massive opportunity to address the slow pace of land reform should it be packaged in such a way that it gives greater certainty and protection to existing commercial farmers.

In terms of the employment stimulus support programmes rolled out in 2020 as well as the support provided to subsistence farmers, the Minister must investigate the alleged incidences of farmer relief voucher fraud. This also applies to the money spent on Agri Parks which in most instances are barely functional.

Proper monitoring and evaluation must accompany strategies related to the Employment of Extension Officers, the announced regulatory services to address biosecurity matters, the employment of 50 animal health technicians and the new Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine production facility to be built.

A great worry remains the Land Bank as well as the uncertainty around the Expropriation Bill and proposed amendment of Section 25 of the national Constitution. Any attempt to expropriate productive farms and land in general without compensation will not only undermine the growth of the sector for the past few years and into the future, but it will destroy South Africa’s economy and its standing in the international world.

We trust that the Blended Finance Scheme (BFS) will leverage the expected private funding to support investments that will unlock and enhance agricultural production, agro-processing and comprehensive land acquisition by black producers. This process must also be closely monitored and guarded to prevent those with ill intent to defraud the scheme. Commercial agriculture regards this scheme and commercial partnerships as an alternative to expropriation without compensation.

Enquiries:

Christo van der Rheede

Agri SA Executive Director