Voorsitter, die agb Minister het die begrafnis van Eugene Terre'blanche bygewoon. Agb Minister, dit is reg. U het die regte ding gedoen. Ek aanvaar dit is simbolies dat u s plaasmoorde is verkeerd. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Mr P J GROENEWALD: Chairperson, the hon Minister attended the funeral of Eugene Terre'blanche. Hon Minister, that is fine. You have done the right thing. I accept it that you mean it symbolically when you say that farm murders are wrong.]
But, hon Minister, I want to say to you that your main responsibility is to ensure food security in South Africa. However, you are confronted with a couple of problems, and those problems are not created by the farmers, but by your own colleagues in the ANC.
I want to start with your youth leader, Julius Malema. Besides the fact that his biggest problem is that his arrogance exceeds his intelligence, the fact that he is using hate speech and that you, as Minister - do not let your arrogance exceed your intelligence, okay? - do not repudiate him and tell him to stop, means you are creating a problem. There was an expectation that you, as the Minister, should have stood up for the farmers.
'n Ander probleem is ook u kollega, die Minister van Grondhervorming. Di agb Minister s in sy begrotingsdebat dat, met sekere beperkinge, private grond verseker is, maar hy s nie wat is die beperkinge nie. Twee of drie dae daarna kom s hy dat die beloftes van die struggle - dat grond genasionaliseer moet word - ook sy persoonlike standpunt is. Dit, agb Minister, bedreig voedselsekuriteit in Suid-Afrika. Die boere wil sekerheid h.
Die derde aspek is u kollega, die Minister van Handel en Nywerheid. Die koringboere moet plant. U het netnou hier ges die broodprys moet teen kosprys wees. Wie gaan dit teen kosprys lewer? Wie gaan 'n bestaan kan maak? Ek wil vandag vir u s, as u nie met u kollega praat nie, gaan daar nie koring wees om teen kosprys verkoop te word nie. U moet optree teen hierdie aspekte.
Agb Minister, verlede jaar toe u die Minister geword het, het ek tydens u nooienstoespraak vir u ges u is moontlik die renkoningin vir die boere. U het goed weggespring. Die ren het begin val. Maar u moet nie toelaat dat die donderweer nou begin oorneem nie. Die boere soek nie hael op hulle oeste nie. Dit is u verantwoordelikheid. Dit is u taak. Die boere kyk op na u om hulle te beskerm, ook teen daardie kollegas van u wat uitsprake maak wat hulle sekuriteit en hulle veiligheid bedreig.
Dit geld ook vir die Minister van Polisie. Die misdaadstatistiek vir plaasmoorde was altyd bekend. Skielik is dit nie bekend nie. U moet u invloed gebruik om vir u Minister te s om daardie statistiek bekend te stel sodat ons kan sien wat die probleem is. Dan kan ons die probleme oplos en plaasmoorde 'n prioriteitsmisdaad maak.
Voorsitter, my tyd is verstreke. Ek weet dit. Ek wil net op 'n punt van orde vra: Is dit toelaatbaar dat gaste in die galery tussenwerpsels en aanmerkings maak as lede praat? Ek is bereid om hulle enige tyd buitekant te sien. Ek sal hulle vierkantig in die o kyk. Dit is teen die rels dat daar mense is wat opmerkings maak sonder dat u, as Voorsitter, optree, want dan kom u ook nie u plig na nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Your colleague, the Minister of Land Reform, is also a problem. The hon Minister mentioned in his Budget Vote that private land, in conjunction with certain restrictions, is a surety, but he does not say what these restrictions entail. Two or three days later he mentions that promises during the struggle - that land should be nationalised - is his personal view. That, hon Minister is a threat to food security. The farmers would like to have security.
The third matter is your colleague, the hon Minister of Trade and Industry. The wheat farmers are supposed to start sowing. You have mentioned earlier that bread should be sold at cost price. Who is going to provide bread at cost price? Who will be able to make a living? I want to say to you today that there will be no wheat available to be sold at cost price if you are not going to speak to your colleague. You will have to start acting on these matters.
Hon Minister, when you became Minister last year, I told you during your maiden speech that the farmers will probably see you as the rain queen. You have made a good start. Rain came. But you shouldn't allow the thunder to have the upper hand now. The farmers do not want hail on their crops. That is your responsibility. The farmers are looking to you to protect them, and against those colleagues of yours who are making statements that are threatening their security and their safety.
The same holds true for the Minister of Police. The crime statistics regarding farm murders were always made public. Suddenly this is not the case. You should use your influence to ask the Minister to make those statistics available in order for us to see where the problem lies. We will then be able to solve the problem and make farm murders a priority crime. Chairperson, my time has expired. I would like to ask, on a point of order, whether guests in the gallery are allowed to interject and comment while members are speaking. I am prepared to speak to them outside at any time. I will look them squarely in the eyes. It is against the rules that individuals comment without you acting in your capacity as Chairperson, because you are then failing in your duty as well.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Hon Chairman, the majority of people gathered here today are attending this debate because agriculture is important to them. Unfortunately, in my experience, the majority of South Africans disregard the important role of agriculture in South Africa. They do not realise that there is a direct connection between the food they buy at the local Nando's and the farmers who produced it.
One of the reasons for this is the declining contribution of agriculture to GDP in South Africa. Whereas agriculture contributed to about 10% of GDP in South Africa in the 1960s, it has only amounted to around 3% in the past five years. This has left agriculture vulnerable, obscuring the sector's true contribution in terms of food supply, economic linkages and multipliers, agriculture's employment-creation capacity, and its role as a foreign-exchange earner.
The fact is that more than 8% of South Africa's merchandised, non-gold exports are primary agricultural products. The media, economists, and everyone present here should give more recognition to this and help to change these misconceptions with regard to agriculture in South Africa.
Meneer, voedselsekuriteit word wreldwyd skielik weer op die politieke agenda geplaas. So was voedselsekuriteit een van die punte op die agenda by die onlangse G8-beraad in Itali, asook by die G20-beraad. Enigiemand wat in Suid-Afrika oor voedselsekuriteit praat en die kommersile boere uitsluit, is onrealisties en weet nie waarvan hy of sy praat nie. Alle landboustatistiek bevestig dit. Daarom die meer realistiese benadering by die Departement van Landbou, Bosbou en Visserye om te erken dat bestaansboere, opkomende boerenommer een, kleinboere, en kommersile boere belangrike rolspelers is om van landbou in Suid-Afrika 'n sukses te maak.
Vir te lank het daar 'n konfrontasieverhouding tussen die regering en veral die kommersile boere bestaan. Gaan kyk gerus na lande waar die landbou baie suksesvol is. In daardie lande is daar altyd 'n positiewe vennootskapverhouding tussen die regering, aan die een kant, en die boere, aan die ander kant. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Sir, all of a sudden food security has again been placed on the political agenda internationally. Thus, food security was one of the items on the agenda at the recent G8 summit in Italy, as well as at the G20 summit. Anyone in South Africa who speaks about food security and excludes commercial farmers is being unrealistic and doesn't know what he or she is talking about. All the agricultural statistics confirm this. Therefore the more realistic approach at the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is to acknowledge that subsistence farmers, emerging farmers, small-scale farmers and commercial farmers are important role players when it comes to making a success of agriculture in South Africa.
For too long there existed a confrontational relationship between the government and especially the commercial farmers. You should have a look at countries where agriculture is very successful. In those countries there is always a positive partnership relationship between the government, on the one hand, and the farmers, on the other hand.]
In South Africa we deregulated and liberalised our agricultural marketing and trading arrangements 14 years ago. The agricultural sector has, fortunately, adjusted to high levels of competitiveness across most value chains, and we are starting to address our poverty and food security problems. However, protectionism practices in some parts of the world put unfair pressure on our farmers to compete on an equal basis. Therefore we will continue to argue for the successful conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda at the World Trade Organisation, WTO. Sir, during the meeting of the G20 that took place in Pittsburgh in September last year, the leaders released a declaration that includes the following on trade, and I quote:
We remain committed to further trade liberalisation. We are determined to seek an ambitious and balanced conclusion to the Doha Development Round in 2010, consistent with its mandate, based on the progress already made, including with regard to modalities.
Unfortunately, this kind of message was also included in previous declarations of the G20, but it has not been translated into real action in order to conclude the negotiations. This raises the question as to whether the United States would be willing to continue working on the basis of the draft modality text, or if they will continue their demands for increased market access from the bigger developing countries, including South Africa.
According to the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economic Sciences, Paul Krugman, countries engage in international trade for two basic reasons, each of which contributes to their gain from trade. Firstly, countries trade because they are different from each other. Nations, like individuals, can benefit from their differences by reaching an arrangement in which each does the things he does relatively well.
Secondly, countries trade to achieve economies of scale in production. That is, if each country produces only a limited range of goods, it can produce each of these goods on a larger scale, and hence, more efficiently than if it tried to produce everything. In the real world, patterns of these are reflected, then, in the interaction between different countries.
Mr Chairman, our trading partners span the globe and enjoy the best of South Africa's agricultural, forestry and fishery produce. Let me give you two examples: One, South Africa is the most reliable source of quality mohair, and produces 54% of total world production. Two, South African ostrich production is one of the top twenty agro-based industries in the country and it ranks high for export, with a total investment in ostrich activities exceeding R2,1 billion.
In vandag se hoogs kompeterende landbou-omgewing is wetenskaplike landbou- inligting noodsaaklik ten einde suksesvol te kan boer en internasionaal te kan meeding. Akkurate oesskatting is een van die belangrikste instrumente in hierdie verband. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[In today's highly competitive agricultural environment scientific agricultural information is essential in order to farm successfully and to be able to compete globally. Accurate crop estimation is one of the most important instruments in this regard.]
The Crop Estimates Committee, established by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, is currently responsible for providing crop forecasts and estimates of summer grain and winter cereal crops in South Africa. As part of the effort to improve the crop estimation and forecasting system in South Africa, the National Crop Statistics Consortium was established in 2002.
I personally had the privilege recently of being invited to see the estimation process, and I must say I was most impressed by the methods used. One of the systems developed by the Consortium is the Producer Independent Crop Estimates System, which incorporates world-class technology like remote earth observation based on satellite and airborne imagery. It is important that the funding of the Crop Estimates System be continued in future, given the role it plays.
According to the Crop Estimates Committee, the 2010-11 harvest season could yield a bumper commercial crop of approximately 13 million tons of maize, which is the largest crop since the record 14,2 million tons harvested in the 1981-82 season. Based on the country's rate of consumption, which is approximately 9,5 million tons, projections for the coming 2010-11 maize marketing season indicate that South Africa will have a surplus of approximately three million tons of maize at the end of April 2011. Perhaps you know all the implications of that. It is also interesting to note that the Crop Estimates Committee has only overestimated the commercial maize crop twice since the 1993-94 production season.
In die Landbouweekblad van 19 Maart vanjaar word erkenning gegee aan mnr Rodney Dredge van die departement en die voorsitter van die oesskattingskomitee. Manie skryf daaroor soos volg, en ek haal hom aan: (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[In the Landbouweekblad of 19 March this year recognition is given to the Department's Mr Rodney Dredge, who is the chairperson of the Crop Estimates Committee. Manie writes as follows, and I quote:]
Die finale lewerings volgens die Suid-Afrikaanse Graaninligtingsdiens verskil glad nie so veel van die skattings nie. Die gemiddelde afwyking is minder as die wreldnorm van 5% oor of onder. Moet dus nie vir Rodney en sy span vlak kyk nie - hul werk is van wreldgehalte.
The production forecast for commercial soya beans is 588 000 tons, which will be the largest crop ever produced in South Africa. This is also 14% higher than the previous season's crop of 516 000 tons. With reference to commercial sunflower seed, the production forecast is 502 000 tons, which is drastically lower, namely 37% lower, than the crop size of the previous season, which was in the order of 800 000 tons. As noted, we have a good system in place for crops.
I therefore turn my attention to that of animal recording, which is of equal importance in South Africa, to the Integrated Registration and Genetic Information System, Intergis, under the provisions of the Animal Improvement Act, Act 62 of 1998. As a computerised programme for the benefit of all - for stock owners as primary beneficiaries, as well as other interested bodies and institutions, and the secondary beneficiaries, such as the SA Stud Book and Animal Improvement Association - Intergis has proven to be one of the most efficient animal identification and improvement tools in the world. It is also recognised by the International Committee for Animal Recording as an approved system for international use.
The Agricultural Research Council, ARC, plays a key role in animal recording and improvement, from basic research to the management of specific recording and evaluation schemes, including, specifically, small- scale farmer participation. A three-year contract was given to the ARC to manage Intergis on behalf of the department, and I think we must look at this.
In South Africa, approximately 68% of total land is used for grazing purposes, but only 14% is classified as potentially arable land. Clearly, most of the land in South Africa is used for red meat farming, and is not suitable for anything else. The livestock industry in South Africa also contributed around 42% of the gross value of agricultural production between 1996 and 2008. This is the highest for the agricultural subsectors in the country. It is worth knowing that the livestock industry in South Africa is characterised by a high level of dualism. For example, it is estimated that around 40% of the cattle in South Africa is in the hands of emerging or small-scale farmers. Also, in provinces like KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, there are more cattle in the hands of this group of farmers than in the hands of commercial farmers. This group of farmers can make a huge contribution to rural development and the upliftment of the poor in rural areas.
However, they have many challenges that must be addressed. Let me give a few examples: firstly, State Veterinary Services are understaffed; secondly, damage-causing animals, where losses are estimated at R1 billion per annum; and, finally, stock theft. In the previous year, losses of animals reported stolen, minus the numbers recovered by the Stock Theft Unit of the Police, are: 34 000 head of cattle, with a monetary value of R255 million; 28 000 goats with a value of R40 million; and 60 000 sheep, valued at R71 million. In total, 152 000 animals were stolen, with a total monetary value of R366 million. This is a very serious situation.
The Animal Identification Act, Act 6 of 2002, requires the owners of all cattle, goats, pigs and sheep to have their animals marked with a registered mark that is allocated to a legal person, on application and payment of a prescribed fee, by the Registrar of Animal Identification. At the end of this financial year, more than 504 000 of these marks were allocated to animal owners to be used on all their animals, as prescribed. Such marks are also the first line of defence against stock theft, as they can act as a deterrent. In a court of law, it is the only positive proof of ownership of the said kinds of animal.
Benefits of animal identification and tracking for the individual farmer, as well as for the country as a whole, include: managing disease outbreaks; tracing food safety incidents; improved animal selection, production and husbandry; disease surveillance; and certification, to guarantee consumer confidence in animal products and thus also increase the possibility for international trade. The department proclaimed stock theft as a priority and it sees an increase in livestock production as one of its priorities, as many citizens of Africa are dependent on the livestock that they own.
The department is administering the relatively new Animal Identification Act - "Aida" - of 2002, which was promulgated to provide a system of identifying ownership of animals. At present, the hon Minister has defined cattle, goats, pigs and sheep as animals under this Act. The department, together with the Stock Theft Unit of the SAPS, is working on a zero- tolerance approach towards animal identification as the first step.
Currently, the department is assisting animal owners of cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep to register and obtain an Aida mark. These will include subsistence, emerging, small-scale and commercial farmers. At present, not even 50% of these animals are marked, and thus, contact sessions will be conducted in communities, municipalities and provinces with subsistence, emerging and commercial animal farmers and owners. A further step in helping livestock producers will be to prepare a system whereby all applications for brand marks can be submitted to the provincial headquarters of the Department of Agriculture in the province.
The department currently administers 33 pieces of legislation. Some of these laws go back to the beginning of the previous century. We are currently reviewing legislation. The main objective is to review, revitalise and/or repeal those laws currently administered, to ensure that the key strategic outcomes of the department are realised. All stakeholders' comments are more than welcome, and are thus encouraged.
Meneer, die Suid-Afrikaanse moordsyfer is 37 uit elke 100 000 van die bevolking, terwyl die wreldgemiddeld vir moord omtrent 5 per 100 000 is. Dit beteken dat 50 mense vandag in Suid-Afrika vermoor gaan word, en 50 elke dag vir die res van die jaar. As daar na moord op plaasboere en hul werkers gekyk word, gaan die syfer op na oor die 200 per 100 000 van die bevolking. Plaasmoorde vind dikwels op die wreedste maniere plaas, soos ons die afgelope week gesien het.
Is daar 'n rede waarom moorde op plase nie as afsonderlike statistiek gegee kan word nie? Die boerderygemeenskap aanvaar die rede is dat plaasmoorde, van wit en swart, nie as belangrik gesien word nie.
Landelike ontwikkeling is met reg een van die prioriteite van die regering. In my kontak die afgelope 11 maande met landbouers dwarsoor die land besef hulle die belangrikheid hiervan, en bied hulle hulle hulp aan. Vir landelike ontwikkeling is dit belangrik dat veral kommersile boere meer werkgeleenthede skep. Die kommersile boere vra my hoe jy meer werkgeleentlede kan skep en jou boerdery kan uitbrei as jy na 15 jaar steeds nie seker is - seker of jy jou grond gaan behou nie; jou buurman is vermoor en jy is nie seker of jy vannag 'n plaasaanval gaan h nie.
Die afgelope paar weke het ons gesien hoe maklik dit is vir enkele individue om met rassisme en onverantwoordelike uitlatings die hele land teen mekaar op te sweep. Meneer, dit is maklike politiek om mense negatief teen mekaar op te sweep en so te mobiliseer. Ek kan dit ook doen. Jy doen dit deur ongegronde stellings oor grond te maak, oor boere, oor hulle arbeiders, en so meer.
Om so te veralgemeen, s ek vir u, is altyd verkeerd. Ek kry dit by die algemene publiek, ek kry dit in die parlement, ek kry dit in die media. 'n Voorbeeld is die stelling dat alle swart boere misluk. Meneer, daar s swart boere wat misluk, maar dit is 'n veralgemening wat op almal geprojekteer word terwyl daar suksesvolle swart boere is. Ek het hulle besoek. As gevolg van presies dieselfde soort veralgemenings word die kommersile boere in Suid-Afrika nog te maklik as die probleem en nie as deel van die oplossing gesien nie. Dit hou veral verband met die eensydige media- en propaganda-persepsies wat geskep word wanneer daar iewers op 'n plaas konflik of 'n rassevoorval was. Dit word dan op 'n onbillike wyse op alle boere geprojekteer.
Die feit dat landbouleiers en georganiseerde landbou dit veroordeel, word gegnoreer ten gunste van veralgemenings dat alle boere selfsugtig is, almal onderdruk hulle werkers, almal buit hulle werkers uit. Dit is net eenvoudig nie waar nie. My ervaring die afgelope tyd is presies die teenoorgestelde, met boere en landbou-organisasies wat met allerlei projekte uitreik en bereid is om te help waar hulle kan.
Ek s dit is maklike politiek - ek maak klaar - om mense met veralgemenings en onwaar stellings teen mekaar op te sweep. Moeilike politiek is om volwasse te wees, en om na oplossings te soek oor die landbou heen - oplossings wat vir ons almal wen-wen is, almal se lewenstandaard verbeter, en wat maak dat ons in harmonie kan saamleef.
Daarmee sal ek my besig hou vorentoe, ongeag die kritiek wat ek kry. Ek dank u. [Tyd verstreke.] [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Sir, the murder rate in South Africa is 37 for every 100 000 of the population, while the world average for murder is about 5 per 100 000. This means that 50 people are going to be murdered today, and 50 people every day for the rest of this year. If we look at the murder of farmers and their workers, this figure rises to more than 200 per 100 000 of the population. Farm murders frequently take place in the most brutal way, as we saw this past week.
Is there a reason why murders on farms cannot be given as a separate statistic? The farming community accept that the reason is because farm murders, of both white and black, are not seen as important.
Agricultural development is rightly one of the priorities of government. In my contact with farmers across the country over the past 11 months, they realised the importance of it, and they offered their help. For agricultural development to happen it is important that especially commercial farmers create more job opportunities. The commercial farmers questioned me as to how it is possible for you to create more job opportunities and expand your farm if after 15 years you still cannot be sure - not sure whether you would be able to retain your land; when your neighbour has been murdered and you are not sure if tonight it is going to be your farm which is going to be attacked.
Over the past few weeks we could see how easy it is for one or two individuals to incite the whole country against each other with the use of racist and irresponsible statements. Sir, this is easy politics to incite people negatively in opposition of each other and to mobilise them in this way. I can also do this. You can do this by making unfounded statements about land, about farmers, about their labourers, and so forth.
To generalise in this way, I can assure you, is always a mistake. I find this with the general public, I find it in parliament and I find it in the media. Illustrative of this is the view that all black farmers are unsuccessful. Sir, there are black farmers who fail, but here we have a generalisation that is portrayed as representative of everyone whilst there are successful black farmers. I visited them.
Because of exactly the same kind of generalisation the commercial farmers in South Africa are too easily identified as the problem and not as part of the solution. This is especially in relation to the biased media and the propagandistic perceptions that are created when there has been conflict or a racial incident on a farm somewhere. This is then portrayed as representative of all farmers in an unfair way.
The fact that this is condemned by leaders in the farming community and organised agriculture is ignored in favour of generalisations; that all farmers are egocentric, all of them oppress their employees, all of them exploit their employees. This is simply just not the truth. My experience recently has been exactly the opposite, with farmers and agricultural organisations coming forward with all sorts of projects and a willingness to assist where they can.
I say this is easy politics- I am finishing - to incite people to be mutually antagonistic by using generalisations and false suppositions. Difficult politics requires maturity and willingness to seek solutions across all the agricultural sectors - solutions that will lead to a win-win situation for all of us, improve the standard of living for us all and would result in us living together in harmony.
This is what I am going to be occupied with going forward, regardless of the criticism that I get. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]