Agriculture is not just another government department. It feeds our people, sustains our rural communities, supports thousands of jobs and remains one of the few sectors capable of driving inclusive economic growth in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
The Democratic Alliance (DA) acknowledges the determination of KZN’s farmers who continue producing despite disease outbreaks, infrastructure failures, escalating input costs, stock theft, climate uncertainty and increasingly tight margins. They deserve more than praise. They deserve a government that is an effective partner.
KZN’s Agriculture and Rural Development portfolio committee has correctly identified Veterinary Services, particularly Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), Agricultural Producer Support, Agricultural Economics, Rural Development and youth-centred programmes as its priorities for the coming financial year. The DA agrees with these priorities but they are only meaningful if they are matched by delivery.
Foot-and-Mouth Disease
The single greatest challenge facing agriculture in KZN remains Foot-and-Mouth Disease. Over the past year we have seen the devastating consequences of outbreaks;
• Movement restrictions
• Closed auctions
• Export disruptions
• Financial losses running into millions
• Breeding programmes interrupted and;
• Generational farming businesses placed under immense pressure.
While disease control measures are necessary, farmers cannot continue carrying the economic burden alone and KZN’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) must move from reacting to outbreaks to preventing them. That means stronger surveillance, more veterinarians and animal health technicians, better laboratory capacity, faster permit systems, improved traceability and strict enforcement against illegal livestock movement.
The DA has consistently argued that biosecurity is no longer simply an agricultural issue. It is an economic issue, a food security issue and an investment issue. We do acknowledge that there has been progress with vaccination efforts accelerated significantly over the past year. Officials on the ground have worked under extremely difficult circumstances. Veterinary teams have travelled countless kilometres to vaccinate livestock across affected districts.
Many departmental officials deserve recognition for that work. But vaccination alone will never solve this problem. KZN requires a comprehensive provincial biosecurity strategy. We need permanent preparedness, not crisis management.
Agricultural Output
Support for farmers cannot begin and end with disease control. KZN’s commercial farmers continue to carry much of the province’s agricultural output. They require certainty, reliable veterinary services, good roads, water infrastructure, research support, market access and predictable regulation.
Emerging and smallholder farmers also deserve genuine opportunities to become commercially viable enterprises. Too often government celebrates the number of beneficiaries while failing to measure how many farmers become sustainable businesses.
Success should never be measured by the number of tractors handed over. It must be measured by the number of profitable farms government interventions create, by increased production, by jobs created, by farmers entering formal markets and by businesses surviving five and even ten years after receiving support.
ADA
One of the DA’s greatest disappointments within the agricultural portfolio is the Agribusiness Development Agency (ADA). The original vision for ADA was compelling. To become a professional agricultural development agency, leverage investment, unlock partnerships, provide technical expertise and accelerate transformation.
Instead, year after year, ADA has struggled to justify its existence. Projects have experienced unacceptable delays. Funds have remained unspent. Communities have waited years for promised developments and confidence amongst stakeholders has steadily declined. The DA cannot continue supporting an entity whose performance falls short of the expectations of farmers and taxpayers alike.
ADA requires urgent reform. Its governance, project management and accountability must improve. Most importantly, its impact on the ground must improve. If the entity cannot clearly demonstrate value for money, then government must seriously consider whether its current operating model remains fit for purpose. Public money must buy public outcomes.
This said, where projects work, the DA will support them.
• Irrigation expansion and mechanisation where it improves productivity
• Farmer training, agricultural colleges and research
• Livestock improvement programmes
• Land Care initiatives
• Climate-smart agriculture and;
• Agri-processing and export development.
The DA supports every initiative that enables farmers to employ and feed more people. As a responsible Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) partner, we are committed to ensuring that taxpayers receive value from every rand spent.
Jobs in Agriculture
Youth unemployment remains one of South Africa’s greatest challenges. Agriculture presents one of our greatest opportunities and should not be regarded as a sector of last resort. Young people should see agriculture as a sector of innovation in terms of;
• Technology
• Entrepreneurship
• Artificial intelligence
• Drone mapping
• Precision agriculture
• Biotechnology
• Agri-processing
• Export logistics and;
• Financial services.
Agriculture has changed. Government must change with it. Investment in youth agricultural programmes must produce entrepreneurs, not perpetual grant recipients.
Climate Change
This is no longer a future risk – it is today’s reality and a massive threat to agricultural productivity. KZN must accelerate investment in climate resilience through the following;
• Water storage
• Efficient irrigation
• Early warning systems
• Research and;
• Resilient crop varieties.
These investments are no longer optional. They are essential.
Rural Development
Too many rural communities continue to experience poverty despite living on highly productive agricultural land. Land without support creates frustration. Support without markets creates dependency. Markets without infrastructure create failure.
Government’s responsibility is to connect all three by supporting farmers, developing infrastructure and opening markets. That is how rural economies grow.
Partnerships
The DA has consistently called for stronger partnerships with organised agriculture which includes;
• Commodity organisations
• Universities and research institutions
• Private veterinarians
• Commercial farmers and emerging farmer associations.
• Municipalities and;
• Traditional leaders.
They all have a role to play. Agriculture succeeds through partnership, not bureaucracy.
KZN’s DARD budget provides opportunities but this alone will not protect animals from disease, create additional farming enterprises or rebuild confidence. Only delivery through a competent government, with measurable outcomes will.
The DA will continue supporting programmes that strengthen agriculture, improve food security and grow our rural economy. But we will also continue exposing waste, poor governance, delayed projects and failing entities.
KZN’s farmers deserve a department that works, its agricultural workers deserve certainty, rural communities deserve opportunity and every taxpayer deserves value for money. Our province’s agricultural sector must become resilient, competitive, innovative, biosecure and capable of feeding KZN’s people and growing its economy for generations to come.