Roelf Meyer said a good starting point was “to bring the different role players together and we need to look at urban land reform as well, not just agricultural land.”
Once again the honest and frank nature of the discussions held true when the DG said that black ownership of land was a key issue. “There are 450 black commercial farmers, but it remains a source of pain that many of these farmers do not own the land, as government we need to look at this matter very seriously and we will. Black farmers cannot be productive without a title deed.”
Phile added that the management of an agri-business was very complex. “We need a proper policy framework so that we can optimize the land resource. Agriculture has a complex value chain and it needs to be managed properly.”
Johannes Moller made the point that “the current land distribution did not come about as a result of the market, so reform is a given to rectify that, however, food security is vital and we need to do it in a sustainable manner. Partnerships should be the starting point for the next decade to ensure that land reform becomes an economically viable process.”
Prince said that “part of the problem was that government departments were behaving like NGOs, if we do not sort out the issue of ownership and title deeds we could end up going the way of Zimbabwe due to the overriding political climate.”
The DG reassured the panel that “private sector partnership is a government position. There is a lot of things happening and I am beginning to be impressed… I will take it up with my colleagues… we are putting practical training in place and making funding available…and I am inviting the private sector to join in partnership with government without fear.”
The series celebrates its fourth year being broadcast from Nampo and has seen the conversation on the importance of agriculture being widely spread via various mainstream media outlets such as KykNet, 702/Cape Talk, Soweto TV, Business Day TV and many others. The series is also available via YouTube. Download the Nation in Conversation App at www.nasieingesprek.co.za to join the conversation and to access the full broadcast channel where you can watch this entire episode.
Ends
Issued by:
Marlon Abrahams
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