Potatoes boss high-fives farmers: 'We rose from ashes'

“Amid one of the vastest global pandemics in this era, amid what seems like catastrophe, we rode it like a sea. We saw growth to the point that its roots grew deep enough to spread and rise from the ashes.” These were the words of Potatoes SA chief executive Willie Jacobs during his first State of the Potato Industry address in Pretoria yesterday [5 May].

Potatoes SA endeavours to host the event annually to engage with industry stakeholders about the good, the bad and the “glorious” of the potato industry.

Willie Jacobs, chief executive of Potatoes South Africa. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

True to its central theme of resilience and optimism, Jacobs celebrated the potato, its producers, and enthusiasts under the theme #WhenHopeWhispers.

“Despite the rising and rapid costs, unstable weather conditions and overall uncertainty brought by Covid-19, 570 potato farmers across 16 production regions in South Africa still managed to press on to produce fresh produce,” he said.

Hope at the end of tunnel

According to Jacobs, the role the potato industry has to play in alleviating issues such as poverty, hunger and unemployment should not be underestimated.

In a reassuring message to the country’s potato producers and enthusiasts, Jacobs added, “We can and will rise above present challenges. Now is not the time to be faint hearted or lose faith; here we are ready to learn and listen.”

His sentiments were echoed by leading agricultural economist and Mintirho Foundation trustee Thabi Nkosi, who said there was a glimmer of hope for the sector despite several challenges.

‘The good story of potatoes’

Leading agricultural economist, Thabi Nkosi shared her insights into the current economic state of agriculture in Mzansi. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

During her presentation, Nkosi explored, among others, the current trajectory of the agricultural industry, and changes farmers should be aware of. She also shared her expectations for the remainder of the year.

“I think there are a lot of shrubs and a lot of uncertainty that we still need to navigate and how we navigate this will determine how we perform in the next year or two,” she said.

“The good story of agriculture in the last year is the fact that we were basically the only sector that showed any growth in 2020. There were some very strong affects that drove agricultural production forward.”

In terms of the road ahead there are a few driving factors, including the macroeconomy, the consumer and the policy environment.

While it is good and well that the national treasury forecasted a gross domestic profit growth (GDP) of 3.3%, Nkosi noted that while the optimism is refreshing, it should be taken with a pinch of salt.

“We are sitting in an economy where growth is stagnant. We know that food prices are likely to rise, unemployment is still where it is, household incomes are constrained.

“We are dealing this year with a very constrained consumer, a consumer that is absolutely going to make decisions that are going to stretch that Rand, this is a very picky consumer that we are dealing with.”

“We need to be the happiest people because there is hope. As we are headed for the future let Us go into it with a little bit of extra heart.” – Dr Brylyne Chitsunge

She reminded producers to brace for the political storm that lies ahead with local government elections expected to take place on 27 October 2021.

Dr Brylyne Chitsunge is a farmer and the Pan-African Parliament’s ambassador for food security. Photo: Biznews.com

“We cannot be too reactive to what is on the political front we just need to stay the course, we tend to really panic when we hear people start to threaten our property, but it is going to happen; let us be prepared for it.”

Grow women, grow farms

Meanwhile, food ambassador and commercial farmer, Dr Brylyne Chitsunge emphasised that investment in women and youth is fundamental in the growth of the agricultural sector.

Chitsunge suggested that if the agricultural sector was to stimulate South Africa’s economy, continued involvement from role players would be imperative to optimise the sector’s contribution.

According to Chitsunge, a third of Mzansi’s population lived in rural areas where women tend to have less access to economic prosperity despite their role as small-holder farmers in these communities.

The future is female, she suggested.

“A woman is a serious negotiator. Half of the time the woman [on farm] is a worker, an organiser, a manager, an advocate, and a negotiator. When a woman gets to the market, she gets the best price for her produce,” she says.

“We can and will rise above present challenges. Now is not the time to be faint-hearted or lose faith, here we are ready to learn and listen.” – Willie Jacobs

Chitsunge holds a PhD in microbiology and is one of Mzansi’s most successful commercial farmers, running a thriving mixed farming enterprise in Cullinan 30 kilometre east of Pretoria.

ALSO READ: ‘Change SA through farming’ pleads food ambassador

Chitsunge further expressed her gratitude to the potato industry especially for stepping up to the plate in addressing issues of food security.

She said, “I cannot thank you enough for addressing issues of food security in South Africa and the continent. It is very important for us to work together collectively so that we can all achieve one goal: food sovereignty.

“We don’t just talk about food security it has got to have all the macronutrients so that we stop this trend of stunting, kwashiorkor, and malnutrition.

“We need to be the happiest people because there is hope. As we are headed for the future, let us go into it with a little bit of extra heart.”