Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and our MEC, Mr Van Rensburg - I don't know if there is any other MEC who takes agriculture very seriously - hon members, and the public, I wish to start off by thanking the department and the officials concerned for their various presentations to our committee.
During the election period the DA had a stand at the Bloemfontein show and - this is true - diagonally opposite was the exhibition of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The department's officials were very professional, but when they saw how many people were interested in our table, they immediately wanted to join the DA. [Interjections.]
Forgive me if I regress a bit here regarding what has been stated in the department's budget for 2011-12, which is R4,7 billion. The allocations are as follows: agricultural production, health and food safety get R890 million; food security and agrarian reform get R1,2 billion; trade promotion and market access get R190 million; the forestry branch gets R770 million, and fisheries get R324 million. A target was also set to create some 500 000 new job opportunities in the agricultural and agro- processing sectors by the year 2020.
Some 80% of South Africa's food is produced by 20% of the country's commercial farmers. The Minister recently stated in Parliament that:
Daar is geen massa-eksodus van wit boere na elders in Afrika nie, maar as wit boere wil gaan boer, moet ons dit vir hulle moontlik maak. [There is no mass exodus of white farmers to other places in Africa, but should white farmers wish to farm there, we should enable them to do so.]
Presumably this must be done to make place for black farmers who are getting impatient with regard to land reform. The Deputy President of AgriSA stated that in 1994 there were some 120 000 commercial farmers in South Africa, of whom only 37 000 remain. Meanwhile the remaining farmers are still waiting for the long-awaited Green Paper regarding land reform, while established farmers have shown their willingness to help emerging farmers. This uncertainty will not help with the provision of food security, Minister, particularly given the comments made by Mr Malema, and I have to use him again, who states that all whites - one of our hon members recently said that we were pink, or pink/white - are criminals and that farms must be seized Zimbabwe-style.
Ander aspekte wat beleggingsvertroue negatief benvloed is, onder meer, uitsprake van onteiening wat oor boere se koppe hang, stygende misdaad in landelike gebiede, besoedelingsgevaar van mynbou en rioolwater, en verswakkende infrastruktuur. Dit is net 'n paar voorbeelde. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Other aspects that influence investor confidence negatively are, amongst others, statements about expropriation that are hanging over farmers' heads, an increase in crime in rural areas, the risk of pollution from mining activities and sewerage water, and a weakening infrastructure. These are but a few examples.]
Chairperson, our continent's population will increase from 800 million in 2000 to 1,4 billion by 2030. By 2025, some 23% of the world's population aged between 0 and 25 years will be living in sub-Saharan Africa. It is forecast that due to global climate change and the ever-increasing world population, food and water shortages will occur in the not-too-distant future. Efficient and productive farmers are in big demand around the world. We in South Africa must look after our farming community. The Minister recently stated that farming must be based on business principles and not be regarded as a charitable institution. The Minister then continued by saying that after 16 years farmers could no longer be considered emerging and were now expected to produce a surplus and not just exist as subsistence farmers. The DA agrees with this. Agricultural reform must be well planned, efficiently managed and adequately funded.
The SA Red Meat Producers Organisation wanted to take legal action against the department due to foot-and-mouth disease in northern KwaZulu-Natal, which the government had been warned about several months before the February outbreak. South Africa's livestock and farmers are reeling from a host of diseases, as we have heard, that are crippling exports, threatening jobs and even affecting the horse-racing industry. There have been temporary bans on the export of racehorses, poultry products and ostrich meat.
Farmers say the problem is due to the failing state of agricultural infrastructure, such as veterinary and quarantine services. The re- establishment of the red-line fence on the Mozambique border, for example, which could adequately control livestock in high-risk areas; a shortage of state vets and a major decline in the investment in biological products such as vaccines contribute to the problems.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries contributed 2,3% to the GDP in 2009. However, this contribution has been declining annually. During the past five years, food imports to South Africa have doubled to approximately R25 billion. South Africa now imports some 800 000 chickens every day - last year it was 250 000 tons, to be exact - 600 000 tons of edible oil and 50% of domestic wheat. This means that half of every loaf of bread we eat is made up of imported wheat. Some 90% of rooibos tea is exported in bulk and processed overseas. This could create far more work opportunities here locally.
Given the shocking levels of mismanagement with regard to the fisheries branch, we believe that the only way to arrest the terminal decline of fisheries management in our country is - and the hon MEC, Mr van Rensburg, would like this - to invoke section 78 of the Marine Living Resources Act. This Act makes explicit provision for the assignment of ministerial powers and functions to provincial MECs. While the department states that fishing is a national competency, at least 80% of all commercial fisheries activity occurs in the Western Cape. Rather let the DA-led provincial administration take over before there is a total collapse of our fisheries. Thank you. [Interjections.]