the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Limpopo province
26 June 2007
The Department of Agriculture in Limpopo province will hold an indaba to
discuss the agricultural sector's declining contribution to the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP). The GDP is the primary indicator used to gauge the status of
country/province's economy. Given that the Limpopo province is primarily
agriculture based, its contribution to GDP is important for the consistent
performance and/or improvement of the economy in the province.
Several reports have noted that for a number of years agriculture has been
second only to government (public or community services) which made the highest
contribution to GDP. It is estimated that agriculture employed between 12% and
17,5% of the economically active population in the commercial farming
sub-sector and between 20% and 25% in the informal or subsistence smallholder
farming sub-sector, thus making agriculture the most important provider of
employment in the province for the 1991 period. However, recently agriculture
have shed jobs significantly to an extent that mining and manufacturing have
overtaken agriculture in terms of employment and its contribution to GDP has
been decreasing relative to the contribution of other sectors of the
economy.
The main objective of the indaba will therefore be to assess and discuss the
factors which lead to the declining contribution of agriculture to the GDP in
the province and will propose intervention strategies in strengthening and
sustaining the agricultural sector. Participants at the workshop have not only
been drawn from the agricultural sector but from other related sectors
including universities and commercials banks.
Details are as follows:
Date: 28 June 2007
Time: 08h00 � 16h00
Venue: Bolivia Lodge (6km from Polokwane on the Duiwelskloof road)
Media is invited to attend.
For further information, contact:
Segoati Mahlangu
Cell: 082 801 1736
Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Limpopo Provincial Government
26 June 2007
