(The following debate was delivered during a Sitting of the KZN Legislature held today)
Agriculture is unlike any other sector of our economy. It is one of the few sectors where success cannot simply be measured by outputs on paper, but by food on the table, livelihoods sustained, export markets protected and confidence among producers. For that reason, the Democratic Alliance (DA) approaches this Annual Performance Report (APP) with both fairness and scrutiny.
APP achievements
KZN’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) received 65 of its 67 Annual Performance Plan targets, representing a 97% achievement rate, while recording its third consecutive clean audit. These outcomes deserve recognition because sound governance and administrative stability remain the foundation upon which effective service delivery is built. The DA acknowledges the leadership of the MEC and the Department in consolidating governance systems that have enabled these improvements.
Programme 2’s achievement of 100% of all 43 planned performance indicators is similarly commendable. Whether in sustainable resource management, producer support, veterinary services, agricultural economics or research, DARD has demonstrated strong commitment to meeting its planned outputs.
Particularly encouraging is the continued investment in agricultural research, technology transfer and the strengthening of partnerships with institutions such as Cedara, OSCA, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of Zululand and Mangosuthu University of Technology. Innovation remains the most sustainable competitive advantage modern agriculture possesses.
The appointment of 135 unemployed agricultural graduates into practical placements also deserves praise. South Africa does not simply need graduates – it needs experienced graduates capable of entering an increasingly sophisticated agricultural economy.
Foot-and-Mouth Disease
The greatest challenge confronting DARD throughout the year has been Foot-and-Mouth Disease. The outbreak has threatened livestock industries, export markets, communal farmers and food security simultaneously. The department’s veterinary officials deserve recognition for maintaining full performance against their targets while simultaneously leading one of the largest animal health interventions in recent provincial history.
This House must, however, resist the temptation of allowing APP statistics to become a substitute for measuring long-term outcomes. Performance indicators tell us what government has done. They do not always tell us whether government has solved the underlying problem. While vaccination campaigns continue, we must now begin planning for the next phase. Scientific evidence is clear that immunity from FMD vaccines diminishes over time. DARD therefore cannot wait until immunity begins declining before acting.
The DA has consistently called for early procurement of booster vaccines, advance awareness campaigns, strengthened surveillance systems and improved movement control protocols. Preparedness is always cheaper than crisis management. Likewise, while veterinary services have performed exceptionally, future resilience will depend on modern animal traceability systems, digital disease surveillance and stronger partnerships between commercial producers, communal farmers and neighbouring provinces.
Agricultural Development
The report also acknowledges under-expenditure linked to delays in the Richards Bay Agri-Hub programme and disaster funding implementation. While these are understandable explanations, delayed expenditure ultimately means delayed economic opportunity.
The DA believes every rand allocated to agricultural development must reach productive use as quickly as possible. Infrastructure delayed is opportunity denied. Agriculture today is no longer confined to farming alone. It includes logistics, processing, export readiness, irrigation, technology and market access. Projects such as Agri-Hubs should become engines of rural industrialisation rather than construction projects measured only by completion date. The DA therefore encourages stronger quarterly monitoring – as proposed by DARD itself – together with transparent reporting to the Legislature.
Transformation
DARD’s commitment to supporting women, youth and persons with disabilities is welcomed but transformation should not merely count beneficiaries. It must create sustainable commercial farmers capable of competing nationally and internationally. The DA believes agricultural support should increasingly be linked to measurable productivity, profitability, access to finance and integration into formal value chains.
Success should not only be measured by hectares planted. It should also be measured by businesses that survive beyond government support. Similarly, we support the department’s position regarding Cedara and OSCA. KZN cannot afford to lose provincial control over institutions that have served generations of agricultural professionals. These colleges respond directly to provincial needs, and strengthening partnerships with universities represents the correct strategic direction.
Policy certainty
Agriculture remains one of the few sectors capable of simultaneously reducing poverty, improving food security, expanding exports and creating employment. But achieving that potential requires policy certainty;
• Farmers require secure property rights.
• Investment requires regulatory certainty.
• Biosecurity requires continual investment.
• Research requires consistent funding and;
• Rural economies require functioning infrastructure.
These are principles the DA will continue to champion.
DARD’s report demonstrates genuine administrative progress. Where progress has occurred, we should acknowledge it – where challenges remain, we should confront them honestly. Constructive oversight is not opposition for opposition’s sake. It is accountability in the public interest.
The DA therefore welcomes DARD’s strong performance. We congratulate those officials who have delivered results under difficult circumstances and urge the MEC to ensure that future performance is measured not only by compliance with indicators, but by stronger rural economies, healthier livestock, growing agricultural exports and more prosperous farming communities. Because ultimately, the true measure of agricultural success is not found in percentages achieved. It is found in whether KZN’s people are more food secure, more economically resilient and more hopeful about their future.