Agri SA: Land ideas needed
2012-08-01 22:17
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Bloemfontein - A successful South Africa requires proposals from commercial farmers on land reform, Agri SA president Johannes Möller said on Wednesday.
"The market alone will not sort out the land issue in South Africa," he said at Free State Agriculture's annual conference in Bloemfontein.
He said this was because the situation was created in part by a political system and not the market itself.
"We must make stronger proposals from the side of the farmers on what our plans are to see that the whole country is successful. The land issue needs to end sometime."
Moller said agriculture was not sustainable if only commercial farming was successful and the emerging sector suffered.
"It is time for a more symbiotic relationship between commercial and emerging agriculture sectors."
It was accepted across the globe that urbanisation could only be stopped if small-scale farmers were supported. It was estimated that 60% of global agricultural production came from small-scale farmers.
"We have an obligation."
Moller said Agri SA was addressing land reform with government entities in a bid to move faster. It was also working hard to finish a land audit, through provincial structures.
"The challenge with the land audit is that it should not be done just by organised agriculture."
The agriculture department should be involved. The land affairs department did not have enough staff, while the agriculture department had staff in every town.
"We must do it together, and do it as fast as possible."
- SAPA
