AgriSA Congress Speaking notes for Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson. Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Transcription

1 AgriSA Congress 2012 Speaking notes for Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 11 October 2012 The leadership and members of AgriSA Honoured guests Ladies and gentlemen Good morning to you all; goeie more almal! Ek wil eerstens begin deur die leierskap van AgriSA te bedank vir die uitnodiging om hierdie belangrike kongres by te woon. Ek is onder geen twyfel dat verrigting tot dusver suksevol verloop het nie. Ek is inderdaad verheug om deel to wees van hierdie verrigtinge, en ek sien daarna uit om a verslag to ontvang na afloop van die kongres, wat natuurlik voorstellings sal insluit rakende hoe ons saam onse sektor kan versterk. 1

2 Ons het op Donderdag so n paar druppels reen gehad in ons hoofstad. Ek verstaan and waardeer die belangrikheid van reen vanuit die oogpunt van landbou, en die betekenis hiervan vir ons sektor en boere regoor ons land. Laat ons dus hoop dat dit n indikasie is van n suksesvolle seisoen wat ons betree. I am very pleased to note the emphasis in your theme on agriculture (which I hope includes forestry and fisheries), as an economic sector. There is of course much about farming (and fishing) that goes beyond economics the emotional ties to the land, the love of seeing plants grow, or of being at sea but in the end agriculture is a business activity, and has to be managed as such. In so doing, do we create the conditions for our own future since an economic perspective is critical to protecting our interests, and securing our agricultural land. As for it being a preferred sector, the New Growth Path has identified identified the sector as an area with potential for growth and employment. It is my hope as Minister that, together with your constituency, we can indeed make the sector teh preferred sector. We are told that although the contribution of agriculture to GDP is just below 3%, the total contribution including industries dependent on agriculture is around 23%. This makes it a key cornerstone of the economy, notwithstanding the perceptions of decline. Regrettably this economic activity has not easily translated into jobs, and we 2

3 have seen a gradual decline in jobs over the past decade. Some small gains in the recent past have been largely seasonal and highly regional, and have not been of the order we had targeted. We do know that the South African agricultural sector has been facing numerous challenges, and is characterized by a shrinking agricultural sector. A low number of new entrants has created an ageing population of farmers, and the few remaining have had to face the challenges brought about by unstable weather patterns and unpredictable food prices. The recently published OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook for identifies price volatility a s major threat, but does note that markets have been less turbulent in The report forecasts higher prices over the next decade, but also sees the threat in regard to rising energy costs across the world. Growth in worldwide agricultural production is expected to increase at 1.7% per annum depending on the degree of sustainability in our farming practices. An d finally, on a positive note, it suggests that the developing world will see the most increase in production, and emerging economies will capture an increasing share of the expanding world trade in agriculture. Ons moet in ons land, Suid Afrika, begin om meer and jonger persone by landbou te betrek om die toekoms van die sektor te verseker. Ons moet dan ook hulp verleen aan sulke persone om te verseker dat hulle suksevol sal wees as ondernemers. Ons as regering bele op a baie groot mate in landbou en spandeer groot bedrae in die her - kapitalisering van ons landbou kolleges. 3

4 Op so wyse hoop ons om nuwe persone by landbou te betrek. Julle is natuurlik bewus dat die nuwe universities wat ge-oogmerk is vir Mpumalanga provinsie sal verrys uit die Laeveld Landbou kollege met die klem op landbou onderrig en navorsing. Die graduandi sal toegedien word met die vermoe en vernuf om in suksesvolle boere te ontaard, hetsy dit in die landbou of vissersbedryf sal wees. In die landou sektor het ons die situasie waar persone aan wie grondeise toegeken is stagneer as kleinboere,en in die vissersbedryf het ons die situasie waar vissersregte in baie gevalle verkoop. Sulke praktyke, in beide sektore, Dit ondermyn die goeie bedoelings van die regering om nuwe ondernemers, wit en swart, te bemagtig en moet inderdaad hok geslaan word. Those farmer and entrepreneurs who are currently in the sector must be positive about what they are doing. Negative messages from farmers can do an enormous amount of harm in discouraging participation in the sector, and youngsters are very good at reading the signals when choosing their careers. When children hear stories of misery and hardship from friends and family, they will hardly follow in those footsteps. Instead we must go out and advocate participation in the many aspects of agriculture, get the brightest and best of our students to take up positions on farms and agro-processing plants, and support them as they learn the job. Farming is a tough job, and you as farmers know this, but let this not put off our sons and daughters from taking up farming or fishing. 4

5 Die profile van ons sektor sal en moet verander! Sulke verandering sal nie per ongeluk gebeur nie: dit sal die gevolg wees as a beslissendse ingryping deur beide die staat en invloedryke organisasies soos AgriSA wat beide daaraan toegewyd is om te verseker dat die ras, ouderdom and geslags dinamika van ons land in ons sektor weerspieel moet word. am therefore very pleased to record that Agri SA, together with other farmers unions, and now as part of the World Farmers Organisation, has been engaged in the debate about how large commercial farmers can assist us in supporting and training small holder and beginner farmers, so that they may also be part of the food production chain. I welcome these efforts, and urge your organisation to double and treble these efforts, as we seek to ensure food security for South Africa. The price of food and food security issues have gripped media headlines over the past while, led by the crippling drought bin the US. But at the same time other countries, including South Africa, have had record maize harvests, as well as with other crops. The lessons from this is that it is very difficult to predict what will happen, and we need to prepare for many eventualities. Households, in many cases, are in the same position, and it is estimated that up to 14 million people in this country are vulnerable to food insecurity they may have food today, but cannot be sure they will have food tomorrow. 3 million of them go to bed hungry every day. 5

6 Government has taken active steps in this regard, and is currently considering a number of steps to ensure we have a food safety net in place. These include extending the school nutrition programmes, supporting foodbanks and food kitchens, and various other short term steps. But in the medium to longer term we have to increase food production through food gardens, food parks like the one in Phillip on the Cape flats, and turning the millions of acres of under-used rural land into productive units. The latter is what the Masibambisane Rural Development Initiative involves: developing publicprivate partnerships to transform rural land, mostly in the former homelands, into food production. We work with them, as I am sure you agree we should, and provide seed and startup equipment to them. But let me also make it clear: my Department has not given 1 cent (let alone R800 million) to any organisation, or rural town or anything of the sort! Analysis of food costs, which I will be reporting to Cabinet on shortly, reveals that we also need to manage the food value chain better, to reduce wastage and reduce post-production costs. In the first instance I must ask that farmers, wherever possible, arrange for surplus or spoiled produce that is still good for consumption to be taken to local schools, to community centres or to foodbanks. We cannot stand by and watch food being wasted while people in our own doorsteps die of hunger. If assistance in needed for collection and distribution, I will arrange with FoodbankSA to see what can be done. In regard to the wastage of food, I am aware that many smaller farmers lack the necessary transport and storage facilities for their produce - cool sheds, 6

7 grain silo s and the suchlike, and as a result good food is lost. I need to be alerted to areas of need, so that we can assist in providing and securing more of these facilities, and AgriSA is a perfect medium for conveying these to me I must have your advice on such matters. WORLD FOOD DAY The focus on food security is well-timed, since next week the global community will celebrate World Food Day. The international theme this year is: Agricultural cooperatives Key to feeding the world. To mark the event, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will host an event in Bronkhorstspruit We have invited community members to share the day with us, and I do hope that many of you will attend the event. I would be delighted if I could also have strong representation from our farmers, who could lend assistance and support to people struggling to get going. A positive word can be enough of a spark to get some child planting 6 tomatoes trees, and maybe ending up one day competing with ZZ2! The theme is one which also underlines my own vision for agriculture. The commercial farming sector of today was built on the back of farmers co-ops, and we are no different today. Not in the narrow sense of a few farmers working together, but a real co-operative venture between communities, the private sector and the state. We are all in this together, and without cooperation is there very little chance of us addressing the triple challenges of poverty, inequality or jobs. Large tracts of dormant land is in the hands of 7

8 traditional leaders, churches as well as land at schools and other communal spaces, all of which should be used for food production. Our message is one family, one garden, a message that can serve as a practical tool for us to address poverty and make citizens more self-reliant. CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE If we do all the above, but we do it in an irresponsible way, we will jeopardise our future in a way that does not allow for any return. Once our land is lost or destroyed, it cannot be replaced, and it is very difficult to rehabilitate or restore. Promises by mining houses about the restoration of land once it has been mined have not been demonstrated, and we have lost many hectares in this way. Last year South Africa broke the mould by introducing and spearheading a new way of thinking in both agriculture and the environment. During the CoP17 gathering in Durban, where policy makers gathered to discuss climate change, we worked extremely hard to get agriculture on the agenda and into the declaration, for the first time ever. Agriculture is now being considered by the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SABSTA), which will make recommendations to the next Conference of Parties (Cop18) in Doha during December. All the evidence shows that agriculture is a unique sector in regard to climate change: it is both a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and at the same time one of the major victims of the resulting extreme climate events. S o we have responsibilities at both ends: to mitigate 8

9 the harmful emissions though better farming practices, and the conservation of natural resources, as well as to be more adaptable to the inevitable changes that are taking place around weather and climate. This constitutes the basis of Climate Smart Agriculture, and we need to now show that we can lead in practice as well as in these conferences. And let me add that the fishing sector is not exempt from these challenges: global warming and rising sea levels are threatening fish stocks, and changing the seasonal patterns. They too need to adapt or die! Ladies and gentlemen, the goal and mandate of my Ministry is to develop and nurture small farmers, small producers and small agri-businesses, while also giving the necessary support to larger commercial enterprises. There is enough land for all those who really want to farm, and enough fish in the ocean for those who want to harvest fish. The recently approved Small-Scale Fisheries Policy is an attempt to give effect to this balance allowing communities who live along the coast to get fishing rights, for sale or consumption. This does not threaten or undercut the large players who fish far offshore with sophisticated equipment we must preserve and protect both levels. And the same applies to farmers. Large commercial farmers are the lifeblood of this country; this 6% of our farmers who produce 95% of the food that reaches the market. But let us not neglect the contribution of the smaller commercial farmers, who probably supply local or informal markets, the emerging farmers on communal land, and the subsistence farmers who feed themselves and their extended families. Woolworths is not the only place where food is bought and sold, and we must support and expand all forms of food production and sales. 9

10 Finally, let me say to the leadership of AgriSA, you have been in the farming game for longer than many of us. There is a lot that we have learnt and can still learn from AgriSA, and maybe something they can learn from us as we strive to overcome the barriers of the past. I recently came across a copy of the Handbook for Farmers in South Africa, published by the Department of Agriculture in Reading it makes you recognise that many of the issues we face today are not new, we still face the challenge of making a plan when things do not go right, of arguing for higher tariffs and subsidies, and trying out new techniques and products. Interestingly, farmers were willing to pay 5 shillings for this book a large amount at the time for a struggling farmer! I want to personally thank the outgoing President and his executive of AgriSA for the constructive relationship we have had over the past year. Despite what you hear on the radio or TV, I know that I can pick up the phone at anytime and phone Johannes, and he can do the same to me. The only time he does not answer is when he is probably out of cell-phone range on his farm! Ten slotte, dames en here: ek het in die aanloop van die kongres van AgriSa nie veel gehoor,of gelees, van die verkiesingstryd vir nuwe amptenare nie. Dit is natuurlik in groot kontras met die verkiesing van amptenare vir my organisasie, wat in Desember sal plaasvind. Ek is daarvan oortuig dat die proses in beide organisasies baie goed gehandhaaf sal word, en dat die uitslag aanvaar sal word deur alle stemgeregterde kongreslede! Ek sien 10

11 graag daarna uit om saam te werk met die nuwe uitvoerende bestuur van AgriSA, in die belang van ons sektor, ons land en sy mense. Ek bedank AgriSa vir die geleentheid wat ek gegun is om hierdie belangrike kongres toe te spreek. Baie dankie! Thank you very much! end 11