Chairperson, I want to remind our people outside that this component of the ANC represents all shades of opinion in agriculture. We strive for a united and prosperous sector, and we speak on behalf of people and what they experience on the ground. My chairperson took a bird's-eye view of everything. My comrade here visited the West Coast and the coastal areas. And my comrade over there visited all the forest areas, but she is still in one piece. [Laughter.]
It was Gandhi who said: "Live as if you will die tomorrow, but plan as if you will live forever." Farmers must plan years ahead in order to farm optimally in a harsh, unpredictable, uncertain and challenging environment. The weather, markets, policies, taxes and levies, toll fees and a host of other challenges confront them. The policy environment must therefore be made hospitable by government in order for agriculture to survive.
Being price-takers, farmers are heavily affected by high input costs. They are continuously subjected to increases in the fuel price, water tariffs, farm tax, and fertiliser price. These erode the meagre profits that they make out of agriculture. Low commodity prices caused by cheap imports and dumping, little tariff protection and high subsidisation of farmers in other parts of the world will contribute to farming being less attractive.
Die landbouer is uitgesonder as die werkgewer in die ekonomiese sektor wat basies 'n reg aan werknemers moet toestaan vir behuising, kragtens wet. Landbouers probeer nou om met so min as moontlik werkers klaar te kom deur meganisasie, want arbeids- en ander wette maak indiensneming onvriendelik. Dit is wat ek op voetsoolvlak hoor.
Ongeveer 90% van die plase in die proses van restitusie en hervorming was hopelose mislukkings, aldus minister Nkwinti. Derhalwe het die swak hantering daarvan, gepaardgaande met korrupsie, die swak vermons van sommige amptenare, en 'n gebrek aan toegewydheid daartoe gelei dat die oorgrote meerderheid van restitusie-plase totaal onproduktief geword het en sal bydra tot 'n gebrek aan voedselsekerheid. Ons moet dringend planne beraam om daardie 90% van plase wat nie produktief is nie weer produktief te kry. Anders staar ons gevaar in die gesig. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[The farmer is the only employer in the economic sector who basically needs to grant employees the right to housing, by law. Farmers are now trying to cope with the minimum number of employees by means of mechanisation, as labour and other laws are causing employment to become an unfriendly course of action. This is what I am hearing at grass-roots level.
According to Minister Nkwinti, approximately 90% of the farms in the restitution and reform process were hopeless failures. Consequently the poor management of this process, coupled with corruption, the poor capacity of some officials, and a lack of commitment, gave rise to the fact that the vast majority of restitution farms have become totally unproductive and will contribute to a lack of food security. We need to urgently devise plans to ensure that the 90% of farms that were not productive become productive again. Otherwise we are facing danger.]
Many farmers are expanding their operations to other countries on the continent. I want to remind the hon Carter that there are agreements between governments, that South Africans who are going to any part of the continent will merely be expanding their interests over there; whether they will breach that agreement later only time will tell.
The Sapekoe Tea Estate in Magoebaskloof, a tea production farm which, at its peak, employed up to 12 500 seasonal and permanent workers, has now relocated to Kenya and they are providing jobs to over 20 000 people there. We are creating jobs in another country. Some of our foremost banana growers are now operating in Mozambique, and it is said that others are destined to follow, which means we will be importing bananas.
There are, of course, 90 South African farmers who apparently visited Georgia towards the end of last year. According to the information I got, early this year at least seven of them returned to Georgia in the old Russian Federation, and are busy establishing themselves as farmers there. I don't know whether our government has an agreement with that country.
I am told that a farmer who wants to farm wyndruiwe [grapes for wine] in Georgia has purchased a farm for the princely amount of R1 112 per hectare, but he has got to develop the farm. In South Africa thou shalt payeth R150 000 to R250 000, for a productive farm.
In my district alone, sir, approximately 50 farmers have either given up completely because of unprofitability and uncertainty, or have set themselves up overseas. Some have gone to Saskatchewan - I believe it is very cold there - and others have gone to Australia and other parts of the world. It hurts when you hear that people who should be remaining here to help us to grow the industry are leaving the country.
We have to look at the causes. Out of 10 dairy farmers in my district in 1998, only 2 remain. This is indeed a bleak scenario if these trends continue, and we need to address them.
Veeboere staar geweldige uitdagings in die gesig. Dit is siektes, veediefstal, roofdiere, droogtes, en ander bedreigings wat tot baie verliese lei. Talle landbouers het onttrek uit veeboerdery en talle oorweeg dit. Verliese as gevolg van veediefstal het verlede jaar 'n beraamde R400 miljoen beloop. Verliese veroorsaak deur roofdiere het R1,39 miljard beloop, volgens 'n ondersoek deur die Universiteit van die Vrystaat wat in die vyf provinsies waar met kleinvee geboer word, gedoen is. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Stock farmers are faced with enormous challenges. Illnesses, stock theft, predators, droughts, and other threats are causing many losses. Many farmers have opted out of stock farming and several others are considering it. It is estimated that losses through stock theft amounted to R400 million last year. According to research conducted by the University of the Free State in the five provinces where there is farming with small livestock, losses caused by predators amounted to R1,39 billion.]
We have lost our foot-and-mouth disease-free status as a country, ceasing exports of cloven-hoofed animal products. Wool is now piling up in auction warehouses and farm storerooms. You can see the photographs; they have even appeared on TV. The value for the current season is R1,8 billion's worth of wool.
Losses through damage caused by animals amounted to a total of R1,39 billion. Jackals and lynx are indiscriminate and they kill stock belonging to both commercial and poor developing farmers; they don't choose.
If serious steps are not taken, the wool and mutton industries will be destroyed within a decade. My friends, the greens, must come to the party and find ways and means of making this happen; otherwise they will not have woollen clothing to wear or mutton on their tables.
In the current disease situation, South Africa is in the grip of probably the largest foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in history. In 2010, after being dormant for decades, Rift Valley fever, AVF, showed its face. It was responsible for the death of 26 people, including some promising veterinarians. It caused huge losses due to mortality and abortion in the cattle and small stock industries.
The avian influenza outbreak has resulted in the termination of our ostrich exports. I'm made to understand that it is worth R105 million per month.
African horse sickness currently has a devastating impact on the horse industry.
The current capacity situation within the department is disastrous. Now I want to be honest and say it.
'n Totaal van 37% van nasionale en provinsiale staatsveeartsposte is vakant. Dog is veeartse in die departement geskuif na poste wat nie strook met hul kwalifikasies nie. 'n Totaal van 26% van grensbeheerposte is vakant. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[A total of 37% of national and provincial state veterinary surgeon positions are vacant, yet veterinary surgeons in the department were moved to positions that are not appropriate for their qualifications. A total of 26% of border control positions are vacant.]
International veterinary fences are in disrepair. In spite of an amount of R27 million being earmarked for the upgrade of the buffer-zone fence in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal, it remains disintegrated.
The sole producer of African vaccines, Onderstepoort Biological Products, is in dire need of recapitalisation. And I want to warn them that recently some producers have complained about the effectiveness of some OBP products. We are still dependent on Botswana for foot-and-mouth disease vaccines. This is ironic and one wonders what the current status of the Agricultural Research Council's foot-and-mouth laboratory is.
The lack of more formal and structured co-operative governance arrangements between national and provincial veterinary competencies must be addressed. A national animal disaster master plan needs to be found and implemented immediately. [Applause.]
The department plans to establish commodity associations over the next four years. There is no plausible explanation, nor have we seen any scientific research and empirical information to support this. South African agriculture has over several decades developed strong commodity organisations. Grain SA has 52 developing, or now commercial, grain farmers producing between 250 and 1 000 tons of grains per season - the members of the "250 ton club".
The farmers continue struggling because of physical limitations and threats; a lack of knowledge and access to technology; dependency; and bureaucratic stifling. However, I want to acknowledge that a great deal of help does come from Grain SA. We need to build on that goodwill to help our people.
Faced with all these issues and challenges, it beggars belief that the department plans fruitless and wasteful expenditure ... [Applause.] ... on the proverbial reinventing of the wheel, whilst one provincial department failed in the last season to assist 38 grain producers with R2,3 million required to refurbish their ageing tractors and implements. [Applause.]
Chairperson, we have heard on numerous occasions ...