Investment and research seen as farming fixes

SA’s agricultural policies were in the spotlight during a panel debate at the Nampo Harvest Day in Bothaville.

Johannesburg - Policy uncertainty and shrinking investment in agricultural research have been identified as key factors that have contributed to this multibillion-rand industry “drifting backwards” in the past decade.

“Ideally, we would like to see agriculture growing because someone has to feed Africa in the not-so-distant future,” said Hamish McBain, retired chief executive of packaged goods company Tiger Brands.

McBain was among the panellists discussing the impact, or lack thereof, of the government's policies in agriculture at the Nampo Harvest Day in Bothaville, Free State.

Nampo is one of Africa’s largest agricultural shows, drawing more than 50 000 visitors annually.

“South Africa used to be a net exporter of food but today we are on the brink of being a net importer of food,” lamented McBain.

Part of the problem, he said, pertained to the sector's productivity, which had been hit hard by the current drought, leaving five provinces declared as disaster zones.

Other panel members were the chief executives of the Agriculture Business Chamber (John Purchase), Grain SA (Jannie de Villiers), and the Land Bank (TP Nchocho).

For the industry to be profitable, research funding should be increased, said De Villiers.

“Research is a long-term project. Agriculture colleges are not adding farmers (into the fold). We need to pick up that ball and get it fixed. Look, there are good policies across the board.

“The biggest problem comes with implementation. We've got to get investment right.”

Purchase said they would soon hold high-level meetings with government leaders, including Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Senzeni Zokwana, in an effort to turn the industry's fortunes around.

“The GDP over the last five years has been going backwards and it's set to grow by 0.5 percent this year. There is a document that we have drafted to turn agriculture upwards,” said Purchase.

THE STAR