Landbou in die Wes-Kaap by Pioneer Foods se Algenene Jaarvergadering,
Paarl
23 Februarie 2007
U dominansie in die stapelvoedselarena wat gerugsteun word deur u diep
gewortelde ankers in die mielie- en koringbedrywe, as meulenaars, asook
verskeie ander vertakkinge in die voedselbedryf, maak van u by uitstek 'n
sleutelspeler ten opsigte van voedselsekuriteit in Suid-Afrika. Om hierdie rede
is dit vir my 'n besondere eer om 'n paar gedagtes met u te mag wissel vanuit
'n landbou-oogpunt.
Daar is sekere universele uitdagings waarmee die breë landbousektor sal moet
deel indien ons wil verseker dat daar volgehoue groei binne die sektor is. Van
hierdie uitdagings is:
a) grondhervorming en Swart Ekonomiese Bemagting in Landbou (AgriSEB)
b) die vervaardiging van genoegsame veilige, gesonde sowel as omgewings- en
sosiaal vriendelike landbouprodukte
c) die hantering van uitdagings deur kompetisie van sommige van ons mededingers
as gevolg van subsidies en tariefplafonne en die beskerming van bestaande
buitelandse markte
d) toenemende nasionale en internasionale sensitiwiteit oor die veiligheid van
voedsel van dier- en plantoorsprong.
e) konstruktiewe bydrae tot die ontwikkeling van Afrika deur die Nuwe
Vennootskap vir die Ontwikkeling van Afrika (NEPAD).
Dit blyk duidelik uit beide die President en die Premier van die Wes-Kaap se
openingsredes van die onderskeie parlemente dat die geveg teen armoede nou die
fase bereik het waar dienslewering op alle vlakke daarop ingestel moet wees om
die ekonomie te laat groei sodat ons nuwe werksgeleenthede kan skep wat die
katalisator moet wees om die grense van armoede te verskuif.
In hierdie verband het President Mbeki reeds verlede jaar in sy openingsrede
van die parlement die landbousektor geïdentifiseer as een van die sektore wat
'n beduidende rol moet speel in die bereiking van die regering se doelwit om
die ekonomie met 6% te laat groei deur middel van die Versnelde en Gedeelde
Groeistrategie(AsgiSA). Binne die Departement van Landbou is daar verskeie
programme wat deur hulle bydraes die klimaat help skep om die grondslag vir
sukses te lê. Die sukses van AsgiSA gaan afhang van die mate waarin ons in
staat is om innoverend te dink sodat ons die kettings kan breek wat groei
belemmer.
Dit is dus duidelik dat die skepping van inkomste- en werkgeleenthede in
Suid-Afrika 'n hoë prioriteit in ontwikkelingstrategieë geniet. Hoewel landbou
as 'n sleutelsektor beskou word, word die volle rol van landbou in so 'n
ontwikkelingstrategie egter selde goed verstaan.
Omdat voedsel die oorgrote gedeelte van marginale uitgawes uitmaak onder
laer-inkomstegroepe, bied boerdery die fisiese goedere om toenemende
werksverskaffing, hoër looninkomste en verbeterde lewenstandaarde te
verseker.
Toenemende landbouproduksie genereer beide indiensneming en inkomstebinding
dwarsdeur die ekonomie, wat weer op sy beurt aangewend kan word in
werkverskaffingstrategiëe in industrieë en besighede.
Die verhouding tussen landbouproduksie, ekonomiese groei, werkverskaffing en
sosiale harmonie is duidelik: Indien 'n toename in werksgeleenthede, veral van
laer-inkomstegroepe, nie saamval met gepaardgaande stygings in landbouproduksie
nie, sal daar 'n ontoereikende vraag na voedsel en reële landbouproduksie en
die verwante intersektorale skakeleffekte en vermenigvuldigers wees. Dit is
belangrik om skepping van werksgeleenthede in verband te bring met
entrepreneur-ontwikkeling, omdat dit reeds bewys is dat so 'n benadering 'n
betekenisvolle bydrae lewer tot die skep van werksgeleenthede en inkomste.
Deurlopende landbou-ontwikkeling is 'n voorvereiste vir hierdie bydraes. U
maatskappy het myns insiens 'n baie groot rol te vervul in hierdie verband.
I want to look at agricultureâs role and contribution from a Western Cape
perspective. Compared to the rest of South Africa, the Western Cape is poor in
the minerals required for a mining sector. However, the province is rich in
renewable natural resources: those resources that create the foundation for a
clean, green and modern economy. Within this context, primary agriculture in
the province is the fountainhead of not only its own value chain, but also for
manufacturing as well as setting the scene for the tourism industry. The
argument is often heard that, because the agricultural sector's share of the
economy is declining, the sector as a whole should be negated. This is a very
dangerous argument, because it negates the so-called 'secular decline of
agriculture' observation already made by Johnston and Mellor (1961) in the
1960s. In short, this argument maintains that the relative size of the
agricultural sector in comparison with the rest of the economy should shrink
over time as the rest of the economy grows. However, although the relative size
of agriculture shrinks, the absolute size of agriculture increases. Hand in
hand with this, the importance of agriculture increases through the role of
agriculture as provider of food, earner of foreign exchange, reservoir of
manpower, creation of private and public capital and as a source as well as
market for industrial production. The importance of the agricultural sector is
supported by the analysis of the sector's links in the Western Cape economy.
Its purchase of goods such as fertilisers, chemicals and implements forms
backward linkages with the manufacturing sector while forward linkages are
formed through the supply of raw materials to industry. These linkages augment
the sector's contribution to the Gross Geographic Product (GGP). The GGP
multiplier for agriculture in the Western Cape is estimated at 1,29, while that
of agribusiness and non-agricultural industries are similarly estimated at 1,02
and 1,1 respectively. The employment multiplier for agriculture is 82,8,
compared to 39,7 and 29,4 for agribusiness and non-agricultural industries
respectively. Agriculture's potential to contribute to employment and value
added in the provincial economy therefore on average exceeds those of the
non-agricultural sectors. Furthermore, it is estimated that an increase of only
5% in the export of certain agricultural products would add 22 900 job
opportunities to the economy of the Western Cape. More importantly, only 9 500
(41%) of these employment opportunities would be in the primary agricultural
sector while the balance would be in the up and down stream of the economic
activities.
Dit is belangrik om die uitdagings wat landbou in die gesig staar meer
breedvoerig aan te spreek aangesien die sukses van die totale landbousektor
gaan afhang hoe spoedig ons hierdie uitdagings aanpak. Hierdie uitdagings is
deeglik deurtrap saam met ons sosiale vennote tydens die samestelling van die
landbousektorplan vir groei en ontwikkeling in die Wes-Kaap en sluit onder
andere die volgende in:
* Grondhervorming en Swart Ekonomiese Bemagtiging is tans die prioriteit van
die regering op landbougebied met die oog op maatskaplike, politieke en
ekonomiese stabiliteit, veral omdat die pas van grondhervorming tot nou toe
baie stadig was. In die Wes-Kaap is daar in die eerste 12 jaar slegs 83 000
hektaar grond aan voorheen benadeelde persone oorgedra. Met ons verskerpte
poging het ons egter verlede jaar 125 000 hektaar oorgedra. Dit is egter nog
ver van die 383 000 hektaar wat ons jaarliks tot 2014 sal moet oordra indien
ons die 30% doelwit wil bereik. Ons moet bou op die suksesverhale en groter
klem lê op mentorskap as ons daarin wil slaag om nuwe boere volhoubaar te
vestig.
* With regard to food security it is true that a vast number of people are
still going hungry every day in South Africa. The more the pity that this often
occurs within walking distance from full granaries and packing sheds. Or, in
other words, the food is available, but people do not have the money to buy the
food. Thus, a food security strategy should be based on two legs. The first is
to enable people to have the financial measures to buy food and the second is
to help people to produce their own food within their limited means. In this
regard we have to place the emphasis on urban agriculture and the development
of food gardens at school and land that lies fallow within the urban
areas.
·
According to the National Food Consumption Survey (2000), 30,9% of children on
South Africaâs commercial farms in the age group one to nine years are stunted
compared to 19,3% in informal urban areas. Similarly, 18,1% of children are
underweight and 4,2% are experiencing wasting on commercial farms compared to
7,6% and 2,1% respectively in informal urban areas. To some extent these
comparisons are shocking, but unfair. The question remains whose responsibility
is it to provide these basic services on farms? Government (be it local,
provincial or national) has taken the responsibility to provide basic services
(education, sanitation, water, electricity housing) at a highly subsidised or
free basis to people living in metropolitan areas. In addition these statistics
reflect the function of agriculture as an absorber of unskilled and elsewhere
unemployable people as well as a 'safe haven' for children within the extended
family circle. It was with this in mind that the Department of Agriculture in
the Western Cape developed a strategic plan for farmworkers. Through this plan
we are harnessing the resources of government under the leadership of
agriculture, to attend to these very crucial matters pertaining to the total
farmworker community.
The extremely high level of domestic and export support that farmers in
developed countries receive, is putting South-African farmers at a total
disadvantage on an exceptional unequal playing field. In some countries,
notably Japan, Norway, Switzerland and South Korea, more than two thirds of
farmers' income is in some way or another derived from government support. The
quasi-competitiveness created in this way is a clear threat to local farmers,
both resource-poor and commercial. However, good arguments exist to maintain
that these levels of support will not necessarily disappear, but will most
probably just be continued in another guise. This is an issue that I believe
should receive more attention if we want to keep especially our grain farmers
on the land.
·
Die veranderende omstandighede in die vraag na landbouprodukte beteken dat die
prys van produkte onbepaald onder druk gaan verkeer. Die veranderende
wisselkoers maak dit onmoontlik vir produsente om behoorlik te beplan, terwyl
die penetrasie van tradisionele markte deur ander mededingers daagliks 'n
faktor is waarmee rekening gehou moet word.
Although food safety was in South Africa traditionally subservient to the
availability of food, it is becoming increasingly clear that food safety issues
should receive mounting priority. This is not only the case for export markets
(where non-compliance with standards such as HACCP and Eurepgap may close
existing and potential markets) but also on the domestic market.
Die landbousektor is een van die primêre bewakers van ons natuurlike
hulpbronne en biodiversiteit. Behalwe die verantwoordelike gebruik van ons
hulpbronne, word die veranderende klimaatsomstandighede 'n al hoe
groterwordende faktor in die volhoubaarheid en produksievermoë van produsente.
Die ontwikkeling van nuwe programme is dus van kardinale belang. Ek wil vandag
tot u 'n versoek rig om saam met ons in vennootskap te gaan om ons
navorsingsinisiatiewe verdere stukrag te gee.
Given South Africaâs unique conditions and challenges we have to have a
clear vision of the road we want to travel. Therefore it is important that a
clear distinction is made between the social support functions and the economic
development functions of all the role players. Due to political necessities
this distinction is often muddled, with the result that focus is lost and the
trust in the government is eroded. I am a firm believer in partnerships and as
partners we should embark on the road to a better life for all our people by
building onto a framework that should consist of six fundamental elements
namely:
a) to create success stories through active involvement (and market them)
b) t o invest in efficient human capital development
c) to create an environment conducive for business
d) t o go out and actively source investment for development programmes
e)create an appropriate research and technology base
f) actively develop products, stimulate new markets and facilitate market
entry.
Voorsitter, ek wil afsluit deur u weer eens te bedank vir die geleentheid om
met u te verkeer. Ek wil u gelukwens met u maatskappy se uitstekende resultate
en die hoop uitspreek dat u u doelwitte vir die nuwe jaar sal bereik. Ek wil u
egter met een laaste versoek laat, naamlik om met ons in gesprek te tree sodat
ons as vennote saam kan werk om die primêre doel om landbou te beskerm naamlik
om bekostigbare kos op die tafel te sit van al ons mense.
Navrae: Alie van Jaarsveld
Tel: (021) 483 4930
Fax: (021) 483 3890
Cell: 084 604 6701
E-mail: avjaarsv@pgwc.gov.za
Issued by: Ministry of Agriculture, Western Cape Provincial Government
23 February 2007
