Minister of rural development and land reform, Mzwandile Nyhontsho, said the time for talk is over; action and more work on the land are needed. He was speaking at the Partners in Agri Land Solutions (Pals) annual general meeting in Ceres in the Western Cape, which also marked the organisation’s 11th anniversary.
Nyhontsho said that as the organisation entered its second decade, it was time to focus on the growth and development of young people and women. He said that working the land could no longer be questioned but needed to be doable.
“I have told my department that we need to eradicate red tape; it is going to be the end of all of us. We cannot spend six years discussing or negotiating to purchase one farm just because it is pricey. Why can’t we buy those which are advertised? We need to buy land; people need land.
“I am working hard to fight corruption in my department; government officials need to work. And I am willing to collaborate with those organisations that want to address the issue of land, my door is open for such discussions,” he said.
Growing agriculture together
The minister said that for everyone to benefit from land and agriculture, there is a great need to start talking to one another, as that was the only answer to the challenges facing the sector.
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“We need to talk to each other as farmers, we need to see each other as one human race, no white or black. The only way for us to support and promote one another is to be around the table and talk to each other.
“While emphasising that, I told my department that they need to support farmers, and support is money. Give people money so that they can work the land and produce food for our nation,” he said.
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According to Achmad Brinkhuis, board member of the South African Poultry Association, for the development and job creation of any industry, working together is not an option but a necessity.
“If we cannot work together, we will never win. When a biosecurity outbreak hits the sector, it does not choose where it goes. It does not only target a certain race; we all suffer. Why can’t we sit around the table to talk? We need each other,” he said.
11 years of growth and challenges
Pals board chairperson, Heinrich Jantjies, said the road they have gone through for the past 11 years has taught them to be resilient but also learn from one another.
“We have managed to bring commercial and small-scale farmers, financial institutions together to work as one because we are working towards one plan and mission. We want to build a sustainable, competitive, united and prosperous agricultural sector.
“With this, we have grown; we are not only operating in the Western Cape, our operations include Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and other regions. We are focusing on agricultural development. We want to ensure that the land is worked on and create jobs for communities,” he said.
Jantjies expressed that while they have managed to achieve a lot, the success has had many problems along the road and that has led to frustrations in having their projects run smoothly.
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