Question NW2918 to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
21 December 2020 - NW2918
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether, with reference to her reply to question 1373 on 6 August 2020, she has seen the need to conduct a study of the farms to (a) understand the level of productivity of each farm, (b) ascertain the reason for the productivity problems of each farm where there is no productivity and (c) establish the required targeted approach to address issues faced by each farm and the beneficiaries; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(a), (b), (c) Yes. The Department has appointed service providers to conduct a full assessment of all farms acquired since the inception of the Land Reform Programme in 1994 which will determine the production levels. The drafted terms of reference confirm that the study will cover the level of productivity of each farm, the reason for the productivity problems of each farm where there is no productivity and the required targeted approach to address issues faced by each farm and the beneficiaries
To date, the Department has conducted a study on PLAS farms to determine the assets verification and suitability, post-acquisition support and enable monitoring of progress of these farms. Although the study did not focus exclusively on productivity, the variables within the questionnaire triggered the response on the actual productive status of the farm to provide a baseline performance statistic.