Hon Speaker and hon members, today I take pleasure in reflecting on the 2012 Appropriation Bill. The 2012 Appropriation Bill was tabled in Parliament on 22 February by the Minister of Finance, hon Pravin Gordhan. In a nutshell, this Bill provides for the appropriation of money from the National Revenue Fund in terms of section 213 of the Constitution, together with section 15 of the Public Finance Management Act.
In 1965, Amlcar Cabral said: Always bear in mind that the people are not fighting for ideas, for the things in anyone's head. They are fighting to win material benefits, to live better and in peace, to see their lives go forward, to guarantee the future of their children.
A budget is a tool for transformation. The Appropriation Bill is a set of figures crafted to give effect to policy that is aimed at the incremental eradication of social and economic disparities of the past. It is a tool to develop infrastructure, grow the economy and create jobs.
Hon members, this is the Budget through which government reassures all South Africans of its commitment to change the lives of the people for the better. The 2012 Budget supports government's objectives of accelerating the pace of economic expansion and job creation, ensuring that the benefits of growth are shared more equitably and that the quality of service delivery is improved. Building a future that expresses the will of the people who have placed their faith in us to deliver on their dreams as we build a better united, nonracial, nonsexist democratic and prosperous South Africa.
Having analysed the Bill in its broader context, allow me to delve into what will be my reflection and engagement on specific issues on the following votes: Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries - Vote No 26, Rural Development and Land Reform - Vote No 33, and also climate change.
In speaking about the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries budget I will focus on food security and poverty alleviation. This is the heart of the socioeconomic right to food enshrined in both the Freedom Charter and the Constitution of our beloved country. Food security and poverty alleviation is not just a subject for debate. This is the ultimate measure of the harsh reality confronting our people, the most impoverished of our people. These are the same people whose unquestionable patriotism since the 1994 voting processes assured us of the democracy that we all enjoy today.
It is in this context that we welcome the budget of R5,8 billion allocated to this Budget Vote. This budget is distributed through the following programmes: administration R612,9 million; agricultural production, health and food safety, R1,9 billion; food security and reform R1,4 billion; trade promotion and market access R212 million; forestry R1,3 billion; and fisheries R411,8 million.
I must remind the hon members that the agricultural sector, of which this department is the custodian, is the only source of employment for many poor rural communities. We need to remind ourselves of the extent to which the South African economy and its growth are reliant on this sector. In our consideration of this Bill as the Standing Committee on Appropriations we noted with deep concern the findings by the Human Sciences Research Council, HSRC, suggesting that between 2000 and 2001 the agricultural sector had experienced a sharp fall in employment in primary agricultural farming, crops and livestock farming, mixed farming and forestry. The Human Sciences Research Council further observed that more households experienced food and nutrition insecurity.
Having said this, we welcome the positives mentioned by the Minister in her Budget Vote in which she mentioned that food processing and agro-industries have provided jobs demonstrating growth of over 25 000 agricultural jobs in the sector for the third quarter of 2011. A further 6 000 agriculture- related jobs were created in the fourth quarter of 2001, and this has brought total employment in the sector to 630 000.
We further welcome the noble plan by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry which will train 45 000 smallholder producers to enhance their productivity. We also welcome the Minister's commitment to invest R50 million in the promotion of agro-processing businesses.
When it comes to rural development, about half of the South African population call rural areas home and many people in urban areas have strong ties with rural areas. However, rural areas bear the brunt of poverty, joblessness and gross inequality, particularly former homeland areas where over a third of South Africans still live - plus minus 17 million people.
In 2010 an estimated 57% of the rural population lived in poverty on a monthly income of less than R570. Employment levels in rural areas are very low, with just one adult in four employed, compared to two in four in the metros. Education levels are low and 31% of working-age adults have only primary education compared to 17% in the rest of the country. Rural infrastructure is inadequate; for example, schools are more likely to lack buildings, books, administrative staff and are often underqualified educators. The government committed itself to ensuring that the country has vibrant, sustainable rural communities. A number of targets were set to be reached.
The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform directly features among the five key priorities of government as declared by the President in his 2012 state of the nation address. Similar to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, this department carries the hopes and aspirations of many rural communities. The majority of these communities are directly affected by the plight of food insecurity, landlessness, poverty and joblessness.
We are of the view that the budget of R8,9 billion for Budget Vote No 33, as reflected in the Appropriation Bill, supports Outcome 7, which focuses on the creation of vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities. Administration gets R1,1 billion; geospatial and cadastral services R561,9 million; rural development R934,8 million; restitution R3 billion; and land reform R3,3 billion. We are confident that this department will be able to turn around the fortunes under the leadership of Mr Nkwinti of many poor rural communities.
When it comes to climate change I can just mention that there will be harvesting of 200 hectares of maize and 200 hectares of soya maize. The ongoing harvesting of at least 400 hectares of commercial crops, and the growing of 100 hectares of lucerne crops in the Free State is also welcomed.
Having spoken at length about the two departments that are the key to the issues of food security, food production, poverty alleviation and sustainable agriculture and rural development, it is only fitting that I speak about the 21st century's most fundamental issue - climate change.
Today we cannot speak of fighting socioeconomic injustice in isolation of the fight against environmental injustice. The issue of food production and food security is clearly a case in point. The funds set aside for the training of farmers, particularly small farmers, should also go towards creating environmental awareness. The millions set aside for the preservation and management of water and land resources should factor in climate change-related issues.
The executive has applied its mind to the allocation of resources to achieve policy objectives of the state. Now, the responsibility for implementation rests with the administration and its capacity to translate policy and annual performance plans into measurable gains.
In closing, hon Speaker and hon members, I shall emphasise that it is our pleasure to welcome the Budget contained in the 2012 Appropriation Bill. For all 38 departments and their respective entities our message is clear: the foundation has been laid, the soil is fertile and it is time to deliver to our people.
I thank you. [Applause.]