Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson welcomes continued support for agriculture and land reform – Budget Vote reaction
The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson has welcomed news of continued state support for subsistence and smallholder farmers as outlined by the Minister of Finance in today's Budget Vote delivery.
Minister Pravin Gordhan indicated that, over the next three years, R7 billion will be spent on conditional grants to provinces to support about 435 000 subsistence and 5 500 small holder farmers and to improve extension services. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries provides support to smallholder and subsistence farmers through the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme and the Ilima/Letsema initiative.
In his speech, Minister Gordhan confirmed government is developing an agricultural policy action plan to support the National Development Plan’s target of creating one million jobs in agriculture and land reform by 2030. The plan will be taken to Cabinet in the next month.
Said Minister Joemat-Pettersson “Today’s Budget Vote speech has emphasised our resolve that the development of smallholder farmers will only succeed through enhanced support from the state as an answer to food insecurity and job creation. We believe that there can be no successful rural development without a successful agriculture sector,” said Minister Joemat-Petterson.
“In 2010, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries turned the tide in job losses in the agriculture sector. The following year, in 2011 and 2012, the sector experienced employment growth, reversing a tide of job losses that had plagued the sector since the 1970s. Since then, agriculture has been the only sector that has grown in the South African economy,” continued the Minister.
During this year's State of the Nation Address, His Excellency President Jacob Zuma said the department’s Fetsa Tlala initiative had produced 88 smallholder farmers that have supplied the United Nations’ World Food Programme with 268 tons of maize and beans. These commodities were exported to Lesotho in January.
The Fetsa Tlala initiative aims to bring additional one million hectares into cultivation by 2019, creating 300 000 jobs.
Contact:
Palesa Mokomele
Spokesperson for the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Cell: 082 904 1908
Tel: 012 319 7876 (PTA) or 021 467 4502 (CPT)
Fax: 012 319 6681 (PTA) or 021 465 6550 (CPT)
Email: PalesaM@daff.gov.za
