South Africa’s minister of agriculture, John Steenhuisen, has committed his department’s support to the country’s fresh produce industry. He believes that active partnerships between the government and agricultural stakeholders must be strengthened, especially in the fresh produce industry – the backbone of national food security.
During a recent RSA Group stakeholder dinner, Steenhuisen interacted with leading fresh produce industry figures, including representatives from key agricultural bodies. RSA is one of South Africa’s leading fresh produce sales organisations.
Jaco Oosthuizen, the CEO of the RSA Group, believes that direct engagement with the government is crucial to the positive future of the fresh produce industry.
“It was very important for South African fresh produce stakeholders to hear the minister’s views on the industry’s future and to get a sense of his priorities.
“All involved appreciated his presence at the event and his willingness to engage,” Oosthuizen said.
Strength in an unsubsidised sector
In his speech, Steenhuisen stated that he views agriculture as the “engine room of economic growth, job creation and greater prosperity for South Africa”.
He highlighted that while the country’s agriculture sector is largely unsubsidised – unlike most global economies – it nonetheless performs strongly in terms of commercial viability and food security.
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Steenhuisen outlined priorities such as government-agricultural partnerships, enhancing legislative frameworks, improving biosecurity protocols for market access, maintaining open communication with stakeholders, and upgrading infrastructure supporting agricultural value chains.
Oosthuizen added, “The hope from all stakeholders is that positive, direct engagement with government will allow our industry to address its challenges and open up more development opportunities for new entrants.”
He believes that with the right kind of delivery from the government and effective government-industry partnerships in place, there is no doubt the fresh produce industry will empower many more new-era farmers while strengthening the crucial informal sector and offering attractive investment opportunities.
Collaborative steps forward
Steenhuisen also addressed his department’s intent to implement the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan, while taking care to amend aspects of the plan that need attention.
He announced “sustainability, viability and profitability” as key watchwords for the agriculture department moving forward, and emphasised a long-term focus on opening up new international markets and gaining full value from global, Southern African, and African trade agreements.
Oosthuizen said interactions such as these can be a crucial stepping stone that allows the government and the industry to work together coherently.
“If we can follow up the positive intent with clear, coordinated actions, the South African fresh produce industry has enormous potential to deliver even more economic growth and employment opportunities to the country.”
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