More time needed for comment on state "custodianship" of agri land Bill
29 May 2015
I have written to the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Mr Senzeni Zokwana, to request that he urgently extend the deadline for public comment on the Bill on Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Framework.
This Bill seeks to vest all agricultural land in the State as ‘custodian’ for the people of South Africa. It is a seriously problematic Bill that will cause further havoc in the agricultural sector.
The deadline for public comment is tomorrow, 30 May 2015. The public have only had one month in which to submit their comments on this Bill. Given the far-reaching consequences, the public should be given more time in which to submit their views.
Government interference on this scale in the agricultural sector undermines the freedom of emerging and commercial farmers to actively pursue opportunities to develop their businesses in a stable economic environment.