The Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is falling short in its support for emerging farmers by failing to allocate land for cultivation and facilitating the commercialization of small-scale producers.
The department’s inability to provide adequate support to farmers has detrimental consequences for both food security and employment prospects.
According to the annual report for the 2022/2023 financial year, only 348 hectares were cultivated for food production, falling significantly short of the target of 4200 hectares. This shortfall was primarily due to the non-responsive nature of the tender for the supply and delivery of grain production inputs.
Despite a target of 13, not a single small-scale producer was successfully transitioned into commercial farming. The department attributes this failure to the non-submission of audited financial statements by the farmers.
The establishment of agro parks, which are vital in promoting the products and services of local farmers, recorded zero progress against the target of one. The department cites delays in phase one work by the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) as the reason for this concerning lack of progress.
Furthermore, no land was released for agricultural production, in stark contrast to the target of 10,000 hectares. The department attributes this to the unavailability of Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) land parcels suitable for agricultural purposes. Additionally, no land was allocated to young farmers, despite a target of 30%.
These shortcomings underscore a distinct lack of proper planning and monitoring of targets within this department. With proper planning, it could have been anticipated that no suitable land was available for agricultural purposes.
The DA intends to pose questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) to ascertain the measures being taken by the department to secure land for agricultural use and the strategies being put in place to ensure the achievement of all set targets. It is imperative that effective steps are taken to rectify these failures and support emerging farmers in Gauteng adequately.
By Jade Miller MPL – DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Agriculture and Rural Development
