Programme Director
Deputy Chairperson of Tiger Brands
Director-General of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF)
CEOs of our public entities
Members of the media
Ladies and Gentlemen
Tiger Brands pronounced its intention to collaborate with DAFF on a common purpose of supporting the smallholder sector. This collaboration coincides well with the approved Agriculture Policy Action Plan (APAP). APAP seeks to promote labour absorption and expand market sharing through coordinated strategic interventions that target increased value-chain efficiencies and competitiveness. Tiger Brands on the other hand, through its Agricultural Commodities Enterprise Supplier Development (ESD) intends to contract producers and offer guaranteed off-take agreements on sunflower and maize amongst other crops.
DAFF is committed to the growth and development of all producer categories, which are subsistence, smallholder and commercial. In its endeavour to broaden participation within the sector, DAFF has entered into a partnership with Tiger Brands. The intent of this partnership is premised on the three DAFF priorities and key intervention areas which are food security, job creation and contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). To this end DAFF has entered into a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tiger Brands to ensure the success and growth of the sector.
The purpose of the MoU is to achieve the various aims and objectives relating to the strategic development projects focusing on enterprise development within agriculture including amongst others, sunflower, maize (glucose), non-GM (genetically modified) maize, non-GM soya; ground nuts; beans; sorghum; tomatoes; peanuts; peaches and apricots.
Tiger Brands is currently procuring at least 1.9 million tons of agricultural commodities and fresh produce annually and 63% of this requirement is sourced locally. Interestingly, Tiger Brands further targets to promote rural farming enterprises which promote sustainable sunflower and maize farming on tribal arable land by local communities. A collaboration of this nature will ensure that both the current and future interventions by DAFF and Tiger Brands become resilient whilst remaining sustainable.
This DAFF/Tiger Brands partnership presents itself at the right time as DAFF is in the process of increasing production through the Fetsa Tlala Food Production Initiative. This Initiative is aimed at increasing food accessibility, affordability and availability by putting 1 million hectares of underutilized land under production by the 2018/19 production season. Amongst the commodities targeted for the Fetsa Tlala Food Production Initiative are maize, beans and potatoes.
DAFF is in need of lasting partnerships towards fulfilling its priority to increase the number of individuals that are food secure, especially in light of the 2014 General Household Survey that was released in May 2015, stating that the percentage of individuals that experienced hunger decreased from 29.3% in 2002 to 13.4% in 2013 and further declined to 13.1% in 2014.
The DAFF and Tiger partnership and initiatives coalesce well with the National Development Plan (NDP) which calls for an inclusive rural economy wherein rural areas are spatially, socially and economically well integrated and coordinated, wherein communities are economically active and food secure as a result of successful agrarian transformation and infrastructure development programmes.
Directives within the NDP guided the overarching framework that informed the Medium Term Strategic Frameworks (MTSF) priorities which steer service delivery initiatives over the next five years, in this case from 2014/15 to 2018/19. These service delivery priorities will be achieved through the diligent implementation of plans and programmes inclusive of these captured herein. The NDP further mandates that by 2030 agriculture should create close to 1 million new jobs, contributing significantly to reducing overall unemployment. Critical to the success of all these initiatives are strong and secure partnerships.
The parties are now in the process of signing a Service Level Agreement which will see implementation starting in the Western Cape, Limpopo, North West and Gauteng provinces. The priority crops are beans, tomatoes and sunflower.
DAFF will continue to strengthen participation of state and non-state partners in the sector towards improved food security and job creation.
It is in our interest to work together and move South Africa forward
