The country’s farmers are working harder as Statistics South Africa revealed that the population has increased from 51.7 million in 2011 to 62 million in the Census 2022 report released yesterday.
Farmers across Mzansi have said although there is nothing to worry about in terms of food production to cater for South Africans, the social challenges need to be addressed urgently to ensure that farmers continue producing food.
Growing population
Statistician-general Risenga Maluleke handed over the Census 2022 report to President Cyril Ramaphosa. He said provinces like Gauteng, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, North West, and the Western Cape had seen an increase in population.
The total population of the country as of February 2022 is 62 027 503, according to Maluleke. The South African population grew by 19.8%, which is the largest percentage change in population size since 1996.
Crop farmer Giel Wilson from Hartswater in the Northern Cape said producing food for the country is not an easy task for farmers as they are confronted by many challenges that they should navigate to ensure that people have food on their table.
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Challenges are piling up
“I personally believe that it is still a dream for South Africa to solely feed its nation because there are products that we are still importing that we should be producing ourselves.
“In the area where I am farming, many farmers have stopped farming or stopped planting maize and replaced it with lucerne. This, in the long run, will have a negative impact on the availability of maize,” he said.
Wilson said disease outbreaks, veld fires, load shedding and climate change were the biggest threat to the country’s ability to feed itself and he urged all farmers to come together.
“One thing is that the number will continue to rise. This begs the question: are there enough farmers to feed the increasing number of people in the country?”
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Plan of action
Meanwhile, Saamtrek Saamwerk coordinator Sehularo Sehularo said the slow reaction by the government in helping farmers deal with their challenges could lead to food insecurity.
“The whole value chain needs to be looked at before we can determine if farmers are capable of feeding the millions of people. We need a decisive government to act on the wrongs that are happening in the sector.
“We need a decisive government to act on the cries of farmers. Farmers need proper roads, stable power supply, qualified people to lead government, and tangible and farmer-centred initiatives for us to start talking about farmers being able to supply food for the population,” he said.
In receiving the report, Ramaphosa said the government needed to work with what they had been given to channel resources better.
‘Improving people’s lives’
“I call on government departments, policymakers, researchers, civil society organisations, and international organisations to use this information abundantly as we collectively strive to improve people’s lives.
“We now have the information we need to ensure that as we build this country, we leave no one behind,” Ramaphosa said.
Livestock farmer Petrus Moapedi from Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal said farmer development and creating a conducive environment for farmers is needed.
“We have many challenges which we face as farmers. We have many farmers dropping out of the industry because it is so difficult to operate in this sector without being assisted.
“Feeding the nation means all of us need to work together. What has our government done to deal with the escalating price of feed and fuel? We spent more money in trying to keep our operations running; some of us are not even breaking even,” he added.
‘The country is capable’
African Farmers Association of South Africa (Afasa) Gauteng youth leader Katlego Kgopotse said the country has the capacity and means to feed itself.
“The irony is we export most of our produce for farmers’ sustainability as costs of running a farm have increased. With the matter of load shedding not resolved, cheaper goods will be imported to our shores. The price of diesel itself is skyrocketing and this is the most used fuel in farming.
“If government subsidies and farmland were used correctly and issued to relevant people, farmers would greatly aid in numbers required to feed our nation,” he said.
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