Speech delivered by Honourable Senzeni Zokwana, MP, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries at the 9th Agribusiness Africa Conference 2015, Gallagher Estate Convention Centre, Johannesburg
Theme: “Agriculture, Economics and Trade”
The Master of Ceremonies,
The honourable Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Zambia, Mr Given Lubinda,
Presidents and chairpersons of the farmers’ unions,
The CEOs and captains of industry,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Programme Director, I wish to thank the organisers of this conference as it relates to the importance of the agricultural sector in the continent. The sector plays a pivotal role in a varied and multifaceted way across the socio- economic, environmental and political spheres. Africa and agriculture are mutually bound by a strong bond of a developmental agenda for the continent. African Union Heads of State and government adopted “the NEPAD/CAADP 2003 Maputo Declaration, and in 2014, during the African Union Summit held in Malabo Equatorial Guinea, the Heads of State and government recommitted to the increased momentum in the implementation of NEPAD/CAADP”—other continental efforts are being committed to unlock the socio-economic and political potential of the continent. These are the Agenda 2063, the Continental Free Trade Area, Regional Integration, the recently signed Tripartite Free Trade Agreement and our efforts in strengthening our bilateral relations with our counterparts in the continent.
Master of Ceremonies, I want to emphasise that all these efforts undertaken in the continent touch on the agricultural sector. It is our responsibility as a continent, regional economic communities, member states, business and civil society to work together in seizing the “African Century Opportunities”.
This conference today showcases the importance of the sector’s socio- economic viability in a politically stable and sustainable environment in unlocking economic opportunities for a sustainable development in the continent—your efforts are forever cherished and supported. It is our collective responsibility at national and regional levels, as well as the continent and the world at large to promote the sector and adopt appropriate technologies in meeting its objectives.
As much as we are creating a viable environment for the sector to thrive, there is a serious challenge that we need to guard against in the value chain (from farm to fork). That is the wastefulness, which is robbing us of the precious resources applied in the value chain.
Ladies and gentlemen, as you are aware that South Africa is a member of BRICS, which is a dialogue and cooperation platform among member states which are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. These countries jointly account for 30% of the global land, 43% of the global population, 21% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP), 17,3% of the global merchandise trade, 12,7% of the global commercial services and 45% of the world's agricultural production. Cooperation among the BRICS countries will strengthen the world’s food security. It will also strengthen sustainability and increase agricultural production by raising the level of productivity in the sector. This will create better investment conditions and transparency of the markets, as well as promote better living standards and access to food. BRICS represent Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America, which give their cooperation a transcontinental dimension making it especially valuable and significant.
During the State of the Nation Address of 2015, President Jacob Zuma indicated that, “Our economy needs a major push forward,” and in this context the President announced a “Nine-point Plan to ignite growth and create jobs.” As agricultural, forestry and fisheries sectors, we need to revitalise agriculture and the agro-processing value chain. Our success in the revitalisation of the agriculture and the agro-processing value chain will be measured in terms of food security, job creation and contribution towards the GDP. This is a paradigm shift which calls for a shared vision; seamless governance between the three spheres of government; and social compact with social partners. It is at conferences like this one, that we have to remind each other that together we can move South Africa forward.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are working with the private sector to implement an Agricultural Policy Action Plan, which will bring one million hectares of under- utilised land into full production over the next three years. The Agricultural Policy Action Plan, or APAP, was approved by Cabinet in March 2015. APAP is the programmatic response to Priority 1, the revitalisation of the agriculture and the agro-processing value chain. It outlines a value chain approach in priority commodities, informed by the commodities with high-growth potential and high-labour absorption capacity identified in the National Development Plan.
Agriculture is a catalyst for economic growth and the current 2,5% contribution of our sector towards the GDP is far below the capacity of the sector. It should be noted, however, that the sector contributes another 12% to the GDP through value added from related manufacturing and processing.
In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that South Africa will host the 14th World Forestry Congress from 7 to 11 September 2015 in Durban. The World Forestry Congress is the largest and most significant gathering of the world’s forestry sector, bringing together global interested parties and organisations from across the world, be it governments, multilateral agencies, NGOs, the private sector, scientific and professional bodies or simply persons with an interest in the sector. The congress has been held every six years since 1926, under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and this will be the first time that it will take place in Africa. I am confident that the country is geared up to host this prestigious event and to warmly welcome the delegates.
Thank you.
