Question NW208 to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development

Reply:

a) (i) Commercial Farmers: 40 122 (Source: Stats SA Commercial Census of Agriculture, 2017).

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA’s) definition of category of farmers:

• Micro Income <R1 million;
• Micro+ R1 million>Income<R2,25 million;
• Small R2.25 million>Income<R13,5 million;
• Medium R13,5 million>Income<R22,5 million; and
• Large >R22,5 million.

Information is not categorised according to race.

(ii) There are no reliable figures on black commercial farmers yet. The Producer/Farmer Register in 2021 registered 95 501 farmers. African farmers compared to other racial groups make up 89 975 of the registered number.

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD’s) definition of category of farmers registered is as follows:

• Smallholder R50<R1 million form 59 282;
• Medium-scale(R1 million><R10 million) form 434;
• Large -scale(R10 million><R50 million) form 111; and
• Mega Farmer(>R50 million) form 67.

 

The Land Audit of 2017 reveals that out of the 181 532 individuals who own farms and agricultural holdings, 40 494 African individuals own land. Whites are the majority owners, forming 95 673 of the total. The report does not reveal the breakdown of turnover per race.

b) The Stats SA Commercial Census of Agriculture, 2017 reveals that there is 46,4 million hectares of land i.e. 36,5 million hectares of commercial grazing land and 7,7 million hectares of commercial arable land.

According to the Land Audit of 2017, Africans own 1 314 873 hectares out of the total of 37 078 289 hectares. White individuals have 26 663 144 hectares of land.

However, the information is not categorised by turnover and race on the same plane so that it can depict black commercial farmers.