U dominansie in die stapelvoedsel arena wat gerugsteun word deur u diep gewortelde ankers in die mielie en koring bedrywe, as meulenaars, asook verskeie ander vertakkinge in die voedselbedryf maak van u by uitstek 'n sleutelspeler ten opsigte van voedselsekuriteit in die Suid-Afrika. Om hierdie rede is dit vir my 'n besondere eer om 'n paar gedagtes met u te mag wissel vanuit 'n landbou oogpunt.

Daar seker universele uitdagings waarmee die breë Landbousektor sal moet deel indien ons wil verseker dat daar volgehoue groei binne die sektor is. Van hierdie uitdagings is:

a) Grondhervorming en Swart ekonomiese bemagting in Landbou (AgriSEB);

b) Die vervaardiging van genoegsame veilige, gesonde sowel as omgewings- en sosiaal vriendelike landbou produkte;

c) Die hantering van uitdagings deur kompetisie van sommige van ons mededingers as gevolg van subsidies en tarief plafonne en die beskerming van bestaande buitelandse markte.

d) Daar is toenemende nasionale en internasionale sensitiwiteit oor die veiligheid van voedsel van dier- en plant oorsprong.

e) Konstruktiewe bydrae tot die ontwikkeling van Afrika deur NEPAD.

Dit blyk duidelik uit beide die President en die Premier van die Wes-Kaap se openingsredes van die onderskeie parlemente dat die geveg teen armoede nou die fase bereik het waar dienslewering op alle vlakke daarop ingestel moet wees om die ekonomie te laat groei sodat ons nuwe werksgeleenthede kan skep wat die katalisator moet wees om die grense van armoede te verskuif.

In hierdie verband het President Mbeki reeds verlede jaar in sy openingsrede van die parlement die landbousektor geïdentifiseer as een van die sektore wat ? beduidende rol moet speel in die bereiking van die regering se doelwit om die ekonomie met 6% te laat groei deur middel van die Versnelde Groei en Ontwikkeling Strategie(ASGISA). Binne die Departement van Landbou is daar verskeie programme wat deur hulle bydraes die klimaat help skep om die grondslag vir sukses te lê. Die sukses van ASGISA gaan afhang van die mate waarin ons in staat is om innoverend te dink sodat ons die kettings kan breek wat groei belemmer.

Dit is dus duidelik dat die skepping van inkomste- en werkgeleenthede in Suid-Afrika 'n hoë prioriteit in ontwikkelingstrategieë geniet. Hoewel Landbou as 'n sleutelsektor beskou word, word die volle rol van landbou in so 'n ontwikkelingstrategie egter selde goed verstaan.

Omdat voedsel die oorgrootte gedeelte van marginale uitgawes uitmaak onder laer-inkomstegroepe, bied boerdery die fisiese goedere om toenemende werksverskaffing, hoër loon-inkomste en verbeterde lewenstandaarde te verseker.

Toenemende landbouproduksie genereer beide indiensneming- en inkomste binding dwarsdeur die ekonomie, wat weer op sy beurt aangewend kan word in werkverskaffingstrategiëe in industrieë en besighede.

Die verhouding tussen landbouproduksie, ekonomiese groei, werkverskaffing en sosiale harmonie is duidelik: Indien 'n toename in werksgeleenthede, veral van laer-inkomstegroepe nie saamval met gepaardgaande stygings in landbouproduksie nie, sal daar 'n ontoereikende vraag na voedsel en reële landbouproduksie en die verwante inter-sektorale skakel-effekte en vermenigvuldiger wees. Dit is belangrik om skepping van werksgeleenthede in verband te bring met entrepreneur ontwikkeling, omdat dit reeds bewys is dat so 'n benadering 'n betekenisvolle bydrae lewer tot die opwekking van werksgeleenthede en inkomste. Deurlopende landbou ontwikkeling is 'n voorvereiste vir hierdie bydraes. U maatskappy het myns insiens n baie groot rol te vervul in hierdie verband.

I want to look at Agriculture's role and contribution from a Western Cape perspective. Compared to the rest of South Africa, the Western Cape is poor in the minerals required for a mining sector. However, the Province is rich in renewable natural resources - those resources that create the foundation for a clean, green and modern economy. Within this context primary agriculture in the Province is the fountainhead of not only its own value chain, but also for manufacturing as well as setting the scene for the Tourism Industry. The argument is often heard that, because the agricultural sector's share of the economy is declining, the sector as a whole should be negated. This is a very dangerous argument, because it negates the so-called "secular decline of agriculture" observation already made by Johnston and Mellor (1961) in the 1960's. In short, this argument maintains that the relative size of the agricultural sector in comparison with the rest of the economy should shrink over time as the rest of the economy grows.

However, although the relative size of agriculture shrinks, the absolute size of agriculture increases. Hand in hand with this the importance of agriculture increases through the role of agriculture as provider of food, earner of foreign exchange, reservoir of manpower, creation of private and public capital and as a source as well as market for industrial production. The importance of the agricultural sector is supported by the analysis of the sector's links in the Western Cape economy.

Its purchase of goods such as fertilisers, chemicals and implements forms backward linkages with the manufacturing sector while forward linkages are formed through the supply of raw materials to industry.

These linkages augment the sector's contribution to the GGP. The GGP multiplier for agriculture in the Western Cape is estimated at 1,29, while that of agribusiness and non-agricultural industries are similarly estimated at 1,02 and 1,1 respectively. The employment multiplier for agriculture is 82,8, compared to 39,7 and 29,4 for agribusiness and non-agricultural industries respectively. Agriculture's potential to contribute to employment and value added in the provincial economy therefore on average exceeds those of the non-agricultural sectors. Furthermore, it is estimated that an increase of only 5% in the export of certain agricultural products would add 22 900 job opportunities to the economy of the Western Cape. More importantly, only 9 500 (41%) of these employment opportunities would be in the primary agricultural sector while the balance would be in the up and down stream of the economic activities.

Dit is belangrik om die uitdagings wat Landbou in die gesig staar meer breedvoerig aan te spreek aangesien die sukses van die totale landbousektor gaan afhang hoe spoedig ons met hierdie uitdagings deel. Hierdie uitdagings is deeglik deurtrap saam met ons sosiale vennote tydens die samestelling van die Landbou sektor plan vir groei en ontwikkeling in die Wes-Kaap en sluit onder andere die volgende in.

· Grondhervorming en Swart Ekonomiese bemagtiging is tans die prioriteit van die regering op Landbou gebied met die oog op maatskaplike, politieke en ekonomiese stabiliteit. Veral omdat die pas van grondhervorming tot nou toe baie stadig was. In die Wes-Kaap is daar in die eerste 12 jaar slegs 83 000 hektaar grond aan voorheen benadeelde persone oorgedra, Met ons verskerpte poging het ons egter verlede jaar 125 000 hektaar oorgedra. Dit is egter nog ver van die 383 000 hektaar wat ons jaarliks tot 2014 sal moet oordra indien ons die 30% doelwit wil bereik. Ons moet bou op die suksesverhale en die groter klem lê op Mentorskap as ons daarin wil slaag om nuwe boere volhoubaar te vestig.

• With regard to food security it is true that a vast number of people are still going hungry every day in South Africa. The more the pity that this often occurs within walking distance from full granaries and packing sheds. Or, in other words, the food is available, but people do not have the money to buy the food. Thus, a food security strategy should be based on two legs. The first is to enable people to have the financial measures to buy food and the second is to help people to produce their own food within their limited means. In this regard we have to place the emphasis on urban agriculture and the development of food gardens at school and land that lies fallow within the urban areas.
• According to the National Food Consumption Survey (2000), 30,9% of children on South Africa's commercial farms in the age group 1 to 9 years are stunted compared to 19,3% in informal urban areas. Similarly, 18,1% of children are underweight and 4,2% are experiencing wasting on commercial farms compared to 7,6% and 2,1% respectively in informal urban areas. To some extent these comparisons are shocking, but unfair. The question remains whose responsibility is it to provide these basic services on farms? Government (be it local, provincial or national) has taken the responsibility to provide basic services (education, sanitation, water, electricity housing) at a highly subsidised or free basis to people living in metropolitan areas. In addition these statistics reflect the function of agriculture as an absorber of unskilled and elsewhere unemployable people as well as a "safe haven" for children within the extended family circle. It was with this in mind that The Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape developed a strategic plan for farmworkers. Through this plan we are harnessing the resources of government under the leadership of Agriculture, to attend to these very crucial matters pertaining to the total farmworker community.
• The extremely high level of domestic and export support that farmers in developed countries receive, is putting South-African farmers at a total disadvantage on an exceptional unequal playing field. In some countries, notably Japan, Norway, Switzerland and South Korea, more than two thirds of farmer's income is in some way or another derived from government support. The quasi-competitiveness created in this way is a clear threat to local farmers, both resource poor and commercial. However, good arguments exist to maintain that these levels of support will not necessarily disappear, but will most probably just be continued in another guise. This is an issue that I believe should receive more attention if we went to keep especially our grain farmers on the land.
• Die veranderende omstandighede in die aanvraag na landbouprodukte beteken dat die prys van produkte onbepaald onder druk gaan verkeer. Die veranderende wisselkoers maak dit onmoontlik vir produsente om behoorlik te beplan, terwyl die penetrasie van tradisionele markte deur ander mededingers daagliks 'n faktor is waarmee rekening gehou moet word.
• Although the food safety was in South Africa traditionally subservient to the availability of food, it is becoming increasingly clear that food safety issues should receive mounting priority. This is not only the case for export markets (where non-compliance with standards such as HACCP and Eurepgap may close existing and potential markets) but also on the domestic market.
• Die Landbousektor is een van die primêre bewakers van ons natuurlike hulpbronne en biodiversiteit. Behalwe die verantwoordelike gebruik van ons hulpbronne, word die veranderende klimaatsomstandighede ? al hoe groterwordende faktor in die volhoubaarheid en produksie vermoë van produsente. Die ontwikkeling van nuwe programme is dus van kardinale belang. Ek wil vandag tot 'n versoek rig om saam met ons in vennootskap te gaan om ons navorsings inisiatiewe verdere stukrag te gee.

  Given South Africa's unique conditions and challenges we have to have a clear vision of the road we want to travel. Therefore it is important that a clear distinction is made between the social support functions and the economic development functions of all the role players. Due to political necessities this distinction is often muddled, with the result that focus is lost and the trust in the government is eroded. I am a firm believer in partnerships and as partners we should embark on the road to a better life for all our people by building onto a framework that should consist of six fundamental elements namely:
  a) To create success stories through active involvement (and market them).
  b) To invest in efficient human capital development.
  c) To create an environment conducive for business.
  d) To go out and actively source investment for development programmes
  e) Create an appropriate research and technology base.
  f) Actively develop products, stimulate new markets and facilitate market entry.

  Voorsitter ek wil afsluit deur u weereens te bedank vir die geleentheid om met u te verkeer. Ek wil u gelukwens met u maatskappy se uitstekende resultate en die hoop uitspreek dat u u doelwitte vir die nuwe jaar sal bereik. Ek wil u egter met een laaste versoek laat, naamlik om met ons in gesprek te tree sodat ons as vennote saam kan werk om die primêre doel van landbou te beskerm naamlik om bekostigbare kos op die tafel te sit van al ons mense.

  Navrae:

  Alie van Jaarsveld
  Spokesperson
  Ministry of Agriculture: Western Cape
  Tel: 021 483 4930
  Fax: 021 483 3890
  Cell: 084 604 6701
  Email: avjaarsv@pgwc.gov.za

  A Home for All ~ 'n Tuiste vir Almal ~ iKaya Lethu Sonke
  http://www.capegateway.gov.za