Premier Lesufi’s government fails to support Gauteng's emerging farmers

4 October 2023

The Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is failing emerging farmers by not releasing land for ploughing and commercialising the small-holder producers.

Failure by this department to support farmers negatively impacts food security and employment creation.

According to the annual report for the department for the 2022/2023 financial year, only 348 hectares were planted for food production, against the target of 4200 hectares. This was because the tender for supplying and delivering grain production inputs was non-responsive.

Zero small-holder producers were commercialised despite a target of 13. According to the department, this target was not met because farmers did not submit audited financial statements.

Zero agriparks were established against the target of one. The department claims there were delays in the implementation of phase one work by the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA). This is worrying, as agriparks play a crucial role in promoting the goods and services of farmers in the province.

Furthermore, zero hectares of land were released for agricultural production against the target of 10 000 hectares. This is because no Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) land parcels are available for agricultural purposes. In addition, no land was allocated to youth farmers despite a target of 30%.

This is a clear indication that this department lacks proper planning and monitoring of its targets. If there had been proper planning, they could have known that no land was available for agricultural purposes.

The DA will be tabling questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) to determine what measures this department is taking to source land for agriculture and what actions will be taken to ensure all set targets are met.

Issued by Jade Miller, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Agriculture and Rural Development, 4 October 2023