Accelerating transformation, access to markets and the overall performance of agriculture in North West can only be possible if farmers and government join hands. It is exactly for this reason that premier Bushy Maape and agriculture MEC Desbo Mohono recently met with leaders in the farming sector to address the state of the sector in the province.
According to Maape, agriculture is the bedrock of their economy as it contributes 2.9% to the gross domestic production (GDP) of the province. While the province is a leader in poultry production, vegetables such as beetroot and onions are lagging behind in the agro-processing sphere.
“We need to build partnerships with established and emerging farmers. But, critically, we need to prioritise investment on agricultural infrastructure and facilities,” Maape said.
“Moreover, we need to put more emphasis on mentorship and training for emerging farmers. This will go a long way in accelerating transformation in the sector through expanding our production but, most vitally, prioritising access to markets.”
Much the same as in other provinces, market access is a major headache for farmers in North West. However, Mohono pointed out that her department has developed a turnaround strategy to enhance performance of the agricultural sector in the province.
“One of the pillars is aggregation, which is [a] market access model [where] investment is made on infrastructure and facilities to accelerate sustainable access to markets for emerging farmers.
“This includes investment on priority value chains which are able to enhance performance of multiple producers within a specific geographic location,” she said.
Better support for grain farmers
Agricultural leaders have called on government to prioritise infrastructure. One grain farmer, Tshepiso Jantjies, says that grain farmers in the province need to see better coordination in the sector, investment in irrigation, and better support from government.
He believes there is huge potential for grain farmers in North West if stakeholders can coordinate their plans and find a way to be less dependent on rain. “We need to be supported as grain farmers in the province. [And] we need farmers to be in irrigation because it is trusted.”
Pointing out the fertile soil and quality of the crops in the province, Jantjies also hopes to see black farmers in the industry embracing the processing of their grains as a strategy to increase income and to ensure food security. “The plan for us to grow grain must also come with agro-processing. The little we are going to store, we must also process. If we take out 60% [to market], the remaining 40% must go to agro-processing.”
Competing with the big boys
According to Jantjies, farmers are in need of storage facilities so that their harvests are still in good condition when the grain is being sold as, currently, deterioration takes place. “We have so much grain but end up not having a place [to store it]. This leads to our white counterparts coming to buy it from us with less money. We end up working from hand to mouth.
“We do not own a single silo as black farmers. If government really [wants] to help us, we need to get such [a] storage facility to compete with the big guys in the industry.”
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