Question NW4000 to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
13 December 2023 - NW4000
Matiase, Mr NS to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether she has found that all the adversities faced by her department lately, such as wheat yield shortages and the avian influenza, could have been avoided by retaining the large number of Assistant Agricultural Practitioners who were axed; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
No. Additional Assistant Agricultural Practitioners (AAPS) would not have played any significant role in preventing the outbreak of diseases as their role would have been to provide agricultural extension services and not necessarily biosecurity; which is performed by the Animal Health Technicians. They were also not involved in the advisory services to produce wheat which is a highly mechanized operation. Most wheat producers are commercial farmers and the target clientele for the Assistant Agricultural Practitioners were households, subsistence and small holder farmers /producers.
Possible follow up question.
Is the department going to re-hire the AAPs?
Response:
If the National Treasury allocates the department with its provincial departments of agriculture an MTEF funding for their recruitment, the department will assist the Provincial Departments of Agriculture in resuscitating their recruitment process at the provincial level.