Questions and Replies

Reply:

1. Yes, The Department of Agriculture (DoA) has initiatives such as the Value Chain Roundtables and Trade Working Groups where products are identified to access new markets. Requests for new market access are initiated by the industry to identify priority markets. Through platforms created such as presidential visits, ministerial visits, Binational Commissions, Joint Bilateral cooperations etc, market access is then requested with identified counties. It must also be noted that the government has an extensive footprint of foreign missions abroad

2. South Africa has already concluded market access protocols with the likes of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and is continuing to engage with Iran for further market access. The department intend to expand these to all BRICS countries with the aim of maximizing these benefits. The trade in plant and animals and its products amongst all existing BRIC countries will still be subjected to sanitary and phytosanitary measures as determined by the importing or exporting country. Membership of BRICS does however offer the opportunity to leverage engagement platforms amongst the countries to advance negotiations on sanitary and phytosanitary at a faster pace.

(3)

(a) The Department has the mandate to ensure sustainable and long-term national food security. In this regard, the Department has the objective to promote and enhance ecological and economically sustainable agricultural systems through improved land use production systems. This objective is based on a continuous evaluation of the natural agricultural resource’s capability, potential, state, and land use to improve decision-making pertaining to the management and use thereof. As such, the Department has submitted the Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Bill (PDALB) for enactment. Through this Bill, the implementation of Agricultural Sector Plans will ensure that land with the capability to be used for sustainable production is identified, specifically through the delineation of the Protected Agricultural Areas (areas of high agricultural potential for cultivation and grazing). The Agricultural Sector Plan creates the platform and prioritizes the development of these areas, which will enhance production that will have inter alia effect of increased job creation for the sector.

b) The Department has also been providing support to farmers/producers through its current programmes, namely, the Ilima/Letsema, the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programmes, the Land Development and Post Settlement Support and the Presidential Economic Stimulus. Apart from the optimisation of agricultural land use, the interventions contribute directly to self-employment and the creation of employment opportunities.

Reply:

(1)

Year	No of Complaints Received regarding malpractice and negligence
1/4/2019 – 31/3/2020	84
1/4/2020 – 31/3/2021	91
1/4/2021 – 31/3/2022	72
1/4/2022 – 31/3/2023	55
1/4/2023 – 31/3/2024	62
Total	364

2. The SA Veterinary Council (SAVC) received the complaint on 20 March 2023. The complaint was duly investigated in terms of section 31 of the Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions Act 19 of 1982 including confronting the listed respondents with the allegations made against them. The respondents filed their answering affidavits in response to the allegations, and answering affidavits were presented to the complainant for them to file their final reply.

Upon conclusion of this process, which marked the conclusion of the preliminary investigations, the matter was presented to an Investigating Committee in terms of Rule 3(8) of the Rules Relating to Disciplinary Processes. The Investigating Committee was convened on 13 June 2023 to consider matters under investigation, including this specific case.

Upon consideration of the evidentiary material, which included affidavits, photographic evidence, and clinical records, among others, the Investigating Committee unanimously resolved to dismiss the complaint on the basis that there was no evidence of negligence/malpractice and/or unprofessional conduct by the cited veterinarians. The Investigating Committee was satisfied that the correct diagnosis had been made and that the correct course of treatment was followed.

The outcome of the Investigating Committee was communicated to Mr Isakov in the SAVC’s letter dated 4 July 2023, wherein the reasons for the committee’s findings were set out in detail. The complainant was dissatisfied with the outcome and subsequently filed a review application to the Council in terms of Rule 3(13) of the above-mentioned rules. The review application was considered by the Council at its sitting on 17 November 2023, where the Council, upon reviewing the evidentiary material, the decision and the reasoning of the Investigating Committee, found that the Investigating Committee had not erred in its decision and confirmed the decision of the Investigating Committee.

The outcome of the review application was communicated to the complainant in a letter dated 28 November 2023. It is based on this communication and the outcome of the review application that the complainant has sent correspondence detailing his dissatisfaction to several institutions, including the former Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and the Presidency, among others.

The complainant, having exhausted all internal remedies provided for in terms of the Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions Act No. 19 of 1982, was advised that he was entitled to approach the High Court of South Africa by way of review proceedings, should he wish to pursue the matter further. To no service of formal review proceedings has been received from the complainant.

(3)(a),(b),(c) Please refer to the tables below:

Year	No of Inquiries	No of guilty findings against professionals	Professionals found not Guilty
1/4/2019–31/3/2020	5	5	-
1/4/2020–31/3/2021	14	14	-
1/4/2021–31/3/2022	18	14	4
1/4/2022–31/3/2023	9	9	-
1/4/2023–31/3/2024	14	14	-
Total	60	56	4

Breakdown of sanctions
Reprimands or Caution [s33(1)(a)]	2
Fines [s33(1)(b)]	35
Suspensions (Immediate execution of penalty) [s33(1)(c)]	1
Suspensions (execution suspended) [s33(1)(c) read with s33(2)(b)]	17
Registration Withdrawals imposed [s33(1)(d)]	1
Total	56

Reply:

1. Please refer to the table below.

Province	District	Total number of government veterinarians
Gauteng	City of Tshwane	13
	Rand West	4
	City of Johannesburg	13
	Vereeniging	0
		30
Mpumalanga	Ehlanzeni North	4
	Ehlanzeni South	5
	Gert Sibande	10
	Nkangala	5
	Head office	3
		27
Northwest	Bojanala	4
	Ngaka Modiri Molema	5
	Dr Kenneth Kaunda	3
	Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati	3
		15
Limpopo	Sekhukhune	3
	Capricorn	5
	Waterberg	4
	Mopani	4
	Vhembe	4
	Head office	6
		26
KwaZulu-Natal	uMkhanyakude	1
	King Cetshwayo	1
	Zululand	1
	uMzinyathi	1
	uThukela	0
	uMgungundlovu	3
	Harry Gwala	1
	uGu	1
	eThekwini	4
	iLembe	1
		15
Eastern Cape	Alfred Nzo	2
	Amathole	7
	Chris Hani	6
	Joe Gqabi	3
	OR Tambo	4
	Sarah Baartman	4
		26
Northern Cape	Francis Baard	2
	John Taolo Gaetsewe	2
	Pixley Ka Seme	1
	Namakwa	2
	ZF Mgcawu	1
		8
Free State	Xhariep	1
	Mangaung Metro	1
	Lejweleputswa	0
	Thabomofutsanyana	4
	Fezile Dabi	3
		9
Western Cape	City Of Cape Town	5
	City of Cape Town Drakenstein, Stellenbosch	3
	Overberg	2
	Winelands	1
	Garden Route	5
	Mossel Bay	3
	West Coast	2
	Central Karoo	1
	Head Office	10
		32
National Department (Head office)		25
		25
	Total	213

2. No government veterinarian that we know of has been found guilty of gross negligence. The employees of the Department are treated according to the statutes and may be subjected to disciplinary processes according to labour laws. Veterinary Professionals are also subjected to the Veterinary and Para Veterinary Professions Act. Should there be a need to charge veterinary professionals with gross negligence, the Veterinary Council will conduct investigations and charge accordingly.

Reply:

a) Please refer to Table 1 below.

b) The average period of failures lasts 12 to 16 hours.

c) Extended power outages and equipment failure.

(d) The cost of each product loss is indicated on the list below:

National Assembly Question 1623 of 2024

Year	2020/2021		2021/2022		2022/2023	2023/2024		2024/2025
Date of Occurrence	16 September 2020		22 June 2021, and 04 October 2021		None.	Date of occurrence 20 December 2023, and 15 January 2024		None
Non-Conformance Report Number	No. 20-051		No. 21-028 and No. 21-067		N/A	No. 23-095 and No. 23-096		N/A
Product Loss in Rands	Product Name	Batch No	Product Name	Batch No		Product Name	Batch No
	Asiatic African Redwater	598 R193 314 462 R194 467	Heartwater Anaplasmosis Anaplasmosis Heartwater African Redwater African Redwater African Redwater Anaplasmosis Anaplasmosis Anaplasmosis   Anaplasmosis Heartwater	327 R170 577 863 R167 858 868 R179 997 329 R191 001 463 R182 893 467 R179 456 468 R177 738 863 R167 858 865 R180 883 866 R179 490     867 R178 984 328 R175 498	No cold room failures.	African Redwater African Redwater African Redwater African Redwater African Redwater Heartwater Heartwater Asiatic Redwater Asiatic Redwater Asiatic Redwater     Heartwater	468 R177 736 475 R178 596 476 R179 456 477 R166 690 478 R171 968 337 R180 635 338 R186 601 620 R200 606 621 R199 505 623 R201 156         339 R176 385	No cold room failures.

Table 1:

Reply:

South Africa can be self-sufficient in most agricultural products. However, South Africa does rely on imports for some significant agricultural products, including wheat. Approximately 40% to 50% of the country’s wheat requirement is imported. The concept of food self-sufficiency is generally taken to mean the extent to which a country can satisfy its food needs from its domestic production.

The Department of Agriculture (DOA) is implementing measures to empower and mainstream designated groups, including women, into the sector. The National Policy on Comprehensive Producer Support and Development (NPCPSD) aims to ensure that there is an increase in agricultural production and improved food security through the provision of support to all categories of farmers/producers. Some of the interventions that align with the policy directives are summarised as follows: -

 

Grants support for producers: DOA is implementing grants-based producer support programmes that are designed to ensure that funding is provided in the form of infrastructure, production inputs, mechanization, training, extension support, and working capital and ensures that market access support is also provided to beneficiaries. The funding programmes in the Department are:

• The Presidential Economic Stimulus
• The Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) - (Schedule 5 conditional grant);
• The Ilima/ Letsema programme (Schedule 5 conditional grant);
• The Land Care Programme (Schedule 5 conditional grant); and
• The AgriBEE Fund.

Land Development and Post Settlement Support: Another critical programme for land reform beneficiaries is the Land Development Support (LDS) Programme which is implemented in partnerships with development partners (i.e., commodity organisations and financial institutions). This approach is within the framework of the sector master plan (AAMP) that advocates for public, and private partnerships for inclusive growth in agriculture and agro-processing.

• Blended Finance Scheme:
• The blended finance scheme (BFS) is a financing instrument also targeting land reform beneficiaries, amongst others, to broaden access to affordable finance and ensure a critical mass of black commercial producers owning and controlling the agricultural value chains. The blended finance is offered in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the Land Bank and ABSA.
• Good Agricultural Practices Certification Programme/SA-GAP:
• The above-mentioned support programmes include the provision of marketing information, the marketing skills development programme, Good Agricultural Practices Certification Programme (SA-GAP), and the market linkages programme. The SA-GAP certification programme is aimed at providing assurance to potential buyers that the food produced by smallholder producers is safe for human consumption.
• Marketing of commodities:
• The marketing of commodities, as envisioned by the Integrated Agricultural Marketing Policy (IAMP), is to provide a range of agricultural marketing support services to enhance participation by all role players across the various agricultural value chains. The Department implements various marketing support programmes that are aimed at enabling producers, particularly smallholder producers to gain access to markets and accelerate the commercialization program.
• Regarding marketing information, the Department disseminates a wide range of market information to producers and other value chain players through the Marketing Information System (MIS), which is a web-based system that can be accessed on the Internet and through Cell phones. The information distributed through the system includes daily prices for agricultural products (fresh produce and grains) and weekly prices for meat, standards and grading information and contact information for various markets and market agents. This information is distributed to get producers to understand the prevailing market conditions to inform them about the existing alternative marketing channels and to bring to the fingertips of farmers into contact with information for various markets.
• The marketing skills development programme is being implemented continuously to empower producers on how the markets operate (mechanics) and to provide them with exposure to different marketing channels. e.g., fresh produce farmers are capacitated on fresh produce marketing and are also allowed to participate in the market exposure visit for them to meet with market management and agents. The goal is to empower producers with knowledge about markets and to allow them to meet with market managers and organize deals (on their own) with those markets.
• DoA also administers the preferential market access programme and issues import and export quotas and permits to traders to enable them to import and export certain agricultural products at reduced rates of duty. This system gives preference to previously disadvantaged companies and/or traders.

Please refer to Annexure A for additional information

[Annexure A (PQ1139)]

Import/export data between Russia/Ukraine and South Africa

South Africa is regarded as a net importer of wheat as local production is not sufficient to satisfy local consumption, resulting in a negative SSI (SSI<100). The average 10-year index value (2013 to 2022) of wheat is 55. The index value of wheat for 2023 is 58, which is slightly less (1,7%) than the index value of 2022 (59). Thus, local production is not sufficient to meet local consumption and imports are required.

 

Graph 1: Self-Sufficiency Index of Wheat, 2013 -2023

South Africa’s wheat deliveries for 2024: Q2 increased by 9.0% compared to the same period a year ago in 2023: Q2. Local demand for wheat increased by 17,8%, whilst imports increased by 14,0% in 2024: Q2 when compared to the previous quarter.

Graph 2: Wheat Deliveries, Imports, Exports and Local Demand

Graph 3: Wheat: RSA Imports for 2021/22 marketing season.

Graph 4: Wheat: RSA Imports for 2022/23 marketing season

Graph 5: Wheat: RSA Imports for 2023/24 marketing season

The pie charts above show the countries that South Africa trades with regarding the imports of wheat.

The war between Ukraine and Russia started in February 2022. South Africa has relatively weak agricultural import ties with both Russia and Ukraine. Russia is the 22^nd-largest agricultural products supplier to South Africa and Ukraine is the 84^th-largest. In value terms, agricultural imports from these two countries accounted for just 1,4% or R1,820 billion of South Africa’s total agricultural imports for 2023.

The major products both countries export to South Africa are wheat and sunflower oil. Over the past five marketing years (2019-2023), South Africa imported an average of 1,7 million tons of wheat per marketing year, roughly 40% of the annual wheat consumption needs. Of this, wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine averaged 17% and 1%, respectively. The significance of Russia in South Africa’s wheat imports basket may raise concerns about the near-term supplies. From this perspective, in the just-passed wheat marketing year of 2023/24 that ended in September 2024, South Africa has imported 1,9 million tons of wheat, of which Russia contributed 545 000 tons or 28% and Ukraine 0% (see graph 6). However, it is notable that the remaining balance for the year was sourced from various other countries such as Australia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, as is evident in Graph 5.

Graph 6: RSA Wheat: % imports from Russia and Ukraine

The Russia-Ukraine war has raised concerns about potential escalating food insecurity as the two countries are major exporters of grains, oilseeds, fertilizers, and crude oil products to international markets, further compounding this situation is the fact that Russia is the world’s top exporter of nitrogen fertilizers and second most important supplier of both potassium and phosphorus fertilizers. South Africa's domestic fertilizer production capacity is weak, in part, because of deteriorating capacity at SASOL and FOSKOR and the lack of some input minerals required to produce mixed fertilizers. As a result, South Africa imports about 80% of its annual fertilizer needs.

Since the start of the Ukraine and Russia war in February 2022, the industry started looking at other alternative sources of wheat imports such as Australia, Lithuania and Poland. This assisted in meeting the domestic needs of the country. The industry searches for suppliers of grains for the country globally for which there is a need and wheat is one of them. Guided by industry government will go ahead to provide the necessary permits.

The strategy is applied by allowing the industry to indicate the quantities needed and to search for countries where alternative sources can be located. The government then follows through with permits and necessary trade protocols to enable the buying of the crops. This is determined annually or seasonally taking into consideration the state of events in the globe and where the risks are.

Reply:

a) Market access was initially requested in 2009. A second market access request was provided to the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) in September 2015. In 2020 they started with Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) on South Africa’s Avocado produce.

The exchange of technical information between the former Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and GACC took place from 2020 until 2022. Details of the agreement under which the Republic of South Africa exports avocados to China are in the “Protocol of Phytosanitary Requirements for Export of Fresh Avocado Fruits from South Africa to The Peoples Republic of China”. Attached as Annexure A.

b)In 2022, the DALRRD and GACC reached an agreement on the list of quarantine pests. The Protocol was signed on 22 August 2023 by ministers of the two countries.

Reply:

The Department is implementing measures to empower and mainstream designated groups, including women, in the sector. The National Policy on Comprehensive Producer Development Support (NPCPDS) which aims to regulate and guide the provision of support to the various categories of producers, stipulates and upholds conditions which enable all previously disadvantaged citizens and targeted groups (women, youth, people with disabilities, etc.) by ensuring that at least 50% of women, 40% of youth and 10% of persons with disabilities get supported.

On land access, the Ministry of Land Reform and Rural Development is implementing the Beneficiary Selection and Land Allocation Policy (BSLAP) which also regulates that at least 50% of the land must be allocated to women.

The Norms and Standards for the Inclusion of Designated Groups (NSDG) provide guidelines for setting measurable targets for departmental programmes to prioritize designated groups and to articulate precise targets. The NSDG advocates for departmental programmes to benefit at least 50% of women, 40% of youth and 10% of persons with disabilities and will be enforced through the Departmental Programmes Approval Committees.

From the three policies referenced above, the two departments will continue to coordinate activities to ensure that both land acquired and supported adhere to set targets.

Reply:

The responsible department in this regard is the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition – however, our response is as follows:

No, The matter of Botswana and Namibia blocking produce from South Africa is being addressed through both the technical and diplomatic channels. Two meetings have already been held with Botswana on 6 May and 6 December 2023, with a follow-up meeting being planned. The date of the next follow-up meeting has not yet been confirmed.

Multilateral meetings are being arranged between the Department of Agriculture (DoA), and relevant departments, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) to formulate a comprehensive South African response to this challenge. At a technical level, (DoA) is looking for methods to convince both Botswana and Namibians to change their stance.

Reply:

1. (a) The Department did not fail to return test samples within the prescribed 90-day period.

(b) (i),(ii),(iii) From 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2024:

• The Transboundary Animal Diseases (TAD) Diagnostic Laboratory is a South African National Accreditation System (SANAS)--accredited laboratory and tracks the turnaround time of testing for all submissions received by the laboratory. On average the results for submissions received for testing of samples collected from African buffalo are issued within 4 days of samples being received; no submission received by the TAD Diagnostic Laboratory exceeded the 90-day period.
• The Bacterial Serology Diagnostic Laboratory is a SANAS-accredited facility that monitors the turnaround time for all test submissions. Samples from African Buffalo typically receive results within 7 days. Between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2024, no submission took longer than 90 days to process.
• The Corridor Laboratory is a SANAS-accredited laboratory and the turnaround time is 10 days. We have included tests that went beyond the turnaround time for the period and indicated reasons for this. As may be seen this was mostly due to payment or information issues related to the client and not the laboratory. However, none of these exceeded 90 days.

(2)(a),(b),(c) The buffalo farm registration system is kept at the national level (former Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development) and does not distinguish between land areas, farms, and reserves. Only the number of registered buffalo farms is captured.

The total number of registered buffalo farming units currently in Limpopo Province is 1658. The total number of registered buffalo farming units for the keeping of specific infection-free buffalo is 1577.

The number of specific infection-free buffalo farm units registered in Limpopo Province for the financial years 2021/2022 to 2024/2025 can be seen in Table 1 below:

Table 1: Number of new farms registered in Limpopo province for the keeping of buffalo.

Financial Year	Number of registrations
2021-2022	53
2022-2023	48
2023-2024	30
2024-2025	49
Total	180

(3)(a)(b) Surveys will include sampling by the veterinary authority according to a sampling plan designed beforehand and inspections will entail farm visits and inspection of animals for a specific reason which may result in actions such as sampling, treatment, and vaccination. The following should be noted while evaluating the information:

- Mpumalanga and Northern Cape have included all animal species, the information is not limited to buffaloes only.

- Mpumalanga province also provided information per district. See Table 3.

- Limpopo has provided information on buffalo farms only but indicated that they only have the capacity to conduct farm inspections when the farm is being registered as a farm for keeping buffalo and hardly ever during loading and offloading. No additional information was supplied.

(i),(ii),(iii) Please refer to Table 2 below:

Table 2: Number of Inspections and surveys on buffalo farms per province

Provinces	2021-22		2022-23		2023-24
	Inspection	Surveys	Inspection	Surveys	Inspection	Surveys
Eastern Cape	19	64	55	168	75	284
Free State	12	12	8	8	18	18
Gauteng	56	35	66	157	58	18
KwaZulu-Natal	24	1	22	10	26	16
Limpopo	No information received.
Mpumalanga	4807846	5095	4 473 827	7730	4 544 718	8771
Northern Cape	1231	496	2067	532	1390	512
North West	68	167	90	130	102	146
Western Cape	28	17	46	19	46	22

Information on surveillance per district was provided by Mpumalanga State Veterinary Services for all animal species as can be seen in Table 3 below.

Table 3: Surveillance conducted in all animal species in Mpumalanga per district.

District	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24
Ehlanzeni North	563	1197	1065
Ehlanzeni South	2776	2351	5438
Gert Sibande	711	1096	1292
Nkangala	1045	3086	976
Total	5 095	7 730	8 771

Information on inspections per district was provided by Mpumalanga State Veterinary Services for all animal species as can be seen in Table 3 below:

Table 4: Inspections conducted in all animal species in Mpumalanga per district.

District	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24
Ehlanzeni North	1890851	1539377	1575844
Ehlanzeni South	1708785	1714070	1648560
Gert Sibande	916903	868820	711833
Nkangala	291307	351560	608481
Total	4 807 846	4 473 827	4 544 718

Reply:

(1)(a),(b) The Department developed the National Policy on Comprehensive Producer Development Support there is no interdepartmental plan in place as yet, since the former Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is still operating administratively as one Department.

(2) The Department is already participating through its partnerships with commodity organisations in initiatives similar to the ones referred to above. Further, provinces through their extension and advisory services organise events such as farmers’ information days whereby different agricultural role players are invited to participate.

The Department through its Sector Capacity and Development has a programme of adopting schools from poor communities and farm schools. These learners are then provided bursaries, and later, are enrolled into the DALRRD external bursary scheme for higher learning. A partnership with Stellenbosch University is used to expose girl children to oenology and viticulture. Unemployed youth graduates are placed at farms for experiential learning.

Reply:

(1)(a),(b) Veterinary movement permits issued for buffalo movements are always Red Cross permits.

(i),(ii),(iii) The number of Red Cross permits issued for buffalo movement per province is summarised in Table 1 below:

Table 1: Number of Red Cross permits for buffalo movement per province

Provinces	2021-2022	2022-23	2023-24
Eastern Cape	19	55	75
Free State	75	34	27
Gauteng	7	9	8
KwaZulu-Natal	01	2	18
Limpopo	No data	178	191
Mpumalanga	17	16	24
Northern Cape	45	23	20
North West	218	187	238
Western Cape	17	18	22

The Veterinary Service of Mpumalanga also provided information per district.

Table 2: Number of Red Cross permits issued in Mpumalanga for buffalo movement per district.

District	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24
Ehlanzeni North	5	4	15
Ehlanzeni South	6	1	3
Gert Sibande	2	7	2
Nkangala	4	4	4
Total	17	16	24

(2)(a),(b),(c) All provinces responded that there was full compliance with the 5 working days rule of issuing the movement permits.

Reply:

(1)(a) All buffalo are tested for the specified diseases prior to movement (buffalo test package). The number of Corridor tests should therefore be an accurate reflection of the number of buffalo movements. More tests are performed for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis as part of disease control actions.

(i),(ii),(ii) The number of tests performed for FMD on samples collected from buffalo were provided per province by Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (OVR), Transboundary Animal Diseases Laboratory (TAD). Figures are included in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Numbers of FMD diagnostic tests performed on buffalo samples

Total number of tests done on African Buffalo: Foot and Mouth Disease
	(a)(i)	(b)(i)	(a)(ii)	(b)(i)	(a)(iii)	(b)(i)
Province	2021-22	Positive results	2022-23	Positive results	2023-24	Positive results
Eastern Cape	1983	0	1482	0	1028	0
Free State	1848	0	1638	0	1164	0
Gauteng	150	0	420	0	83	0
KwaZulu-Natal	270	0	843	164	806	24
Limpopo	6879	0	6513	0	6143	0
Mpumalanga	1650	0	897	0	674	0
Northern Cape	786	0	510	0	397	0
North West	1482	0	1503	0	1957	4
Western Cape	402	0	456	0	480	0

(1)(b)(ii) The number of tests performed for Corridor disease on samples collected from buffalo were provided per province by the (OVR), Epidemiology Parasite and Vectors Disease Diagnostics Laboratory. Figures are included in Table 2 below:

Table 2: Numbers of Corridor diagnostic tests performed on buffalo samples.

Total number of tests done on African Buffalo: Corridor Disease
	(a)(i)	(b)(ii)	(a)(ii)	(b)(ii)	(a)(iii)	(b)(ii)
Provinces	2021-22	Positive results	2022-23	Positive results	2023-24	Positive results
Eastern Cape	476	0	441	0	286	0
Free State	759	0	431	0	371	0
Gauteng	108	0	307	0	260	0
KwaZulu-Natal	80	1	13	0	84	2
Limpopo	2367	0	1917	0	1457	4
Mpumalanga	211	1	262	0	116	4
Northern Cape	262	0	381	0	99	0
North West	569	0	395	0	474	0
Western Cape	129	0	104	0	139	0

(b)(iii) The number of tests performed for Bovine Tuberculosis on blood samples collected from buffalo were provided per province by the OVR Laboratory, Tuberculosis Laboratory. Figures are indicated in Table 3 below. The bulk of Tuberculosis (TB) tests are performed on farms by measuring the skin fold in the neck of each buffalo whereafter tuberculin is injected intradermally into the skin fold. The skinfold is measured after 3 days, and the measurement is used to determine the TB status. The number of TB skin tests performed in the field equals the number of samples that are tested as part of the buffalo test packages performed for TB, Corridor and Brucellosis.

Blood samples are occasionally collected for Tuberculosis Gamma Interferon tests to verify the field diagnosis. The numbers are included in Table 3 below:

Table 3: Numbers of serological Bovine tuberculosis diagnostic tests performed on buffalo samples.

Total number of tests done on African Buffalo: Bovine Tuberculosis
	(a)(i)	(b)(iii)	(a)(ii)	(b)(iii)	(a)(iii)	(b)(iii)
Provinces	2021-22	Positive results	2022-23	Positive results	2023-24	Positive results
Eastern Cape	1	0	2	0	0	0
Free State	2	0	2	0	0	0
Gauteng	5	0	1	0	4	0
KwaZulu-Natal	3	0	4	0	0	0
Limpopo	14	1	10	0	15	0
Mpumalanga	1	0	1	0	0	0
Northern Cape	40	1	23	0	16	0
North West	0	0	0	0	16	0
Western Cape	1	0	5	0	3	1

(b)(iv) The number of tests performed for Bovine Brucellosis on samples collected from buffalo were provided per province by the OVR Laboratory (Bacteriology and Zoonotic Diseases Laboratory). Figures are included in Table 4 below:

Table 4: Numbers of Bovine Brucellosis diagnostic tests performed on buffalo samples.

Total number of tests done on African Buffalo: Bovine Brucellosis
	(a)(i)	(b)(iv)	(a)(ii)	(b)(iv)	(a)(iii)	(b)(iv)
Provinces	2021-22	Positive results	2022-23	Positive results	2023-24	Positive results
Eastern Cape	1506	2	1299	0	1233	0
Free State	1773	36	945	1	1848	0
Gauteng	264	0	330	0	1401	0
KwaZulu-Natal	225	0	153	0	399	0
Limpopo	7605	13	5742	0	6012	0
Mpumalanga	804	16	858	0	537	0
Northern Cape	849	0	465	0	459	0
North West	2094	2	2217	1	1749	0
Western Cape	495	0	636	0	345	0

(2) Land registered for keeping buffalo is fenced off with a game-proof fence at least 1.8 meters high in areas outside the FMD and Corridor disease-controlled areas of the country in accordance with the requirements of the provincial nature conservation authority. In the case of land which is situated within a controlled area, the fencing is electrified to the satisfaction of the responsible state veterinarian.

All incidences of buffalo testing positive for FMD, Corridor Disease, Bovine Brucellosis or Bovine Tuberculosis must be reported to the National Director: Animal Health immediately.

As soon as the initial suspect or positive test results were received for any of the four diseases, the whole land was put under full quarantine, therefore, prohibiting any further movement of buffalo or any other susceptible species onto, off or through the land registered for the keeping of buffalo.

Full backward and forward tracing was conducted for all susceptible species to determine the possible origin of the infection and the most likely date of the first introduction of the infection.

There are specific control and eradication measures for FMD, Corridor Disease, Bovine Brucellosis, and Bovine Tuberculosis. These measures were instituted by the local state veterinarian in consultation with the landowner/buffalo owner/farm manager and private veterinarian.

Reply:

One Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) and two Protocols were signed by the Minister of Agriculture in China. The MoA on Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) was an overarching agreement to ensure that the protocols signed, protocol on the export of greasy wool and the dairy protocol as well as the export of beef to China could take place safely without endangering the sanitary status of China.

The Chinese government had agreed in the past with the South African government that South Africa may export beef and greasy wool to China but South Africa experienced outbreaks of FMD in 7 of 9 provinces. Most countries would have placed restrictions on the importation of these products under these circumstances. China has chosen to only ban FMD-affected provinces and let South Africa continue exporting greasy wool and beef. In addition, China added a new product, dairy to the list of animal commodities that South Africa could export to China.

The signing of the wool protocol also had an element of ensuring that the export of wool is not interrupted by outbreaks of FMD as it ensured safe treatment of the wool before exporting to China. The value of wool exported to China has increased from 8 million rand in 2019 to well over 14 million rand in 2023. This gives the sheep farmers added value to their activities and a significant economic benefit.

There was no agreement to export dairy products to China in the past. The opening of this market is significant since it will give our dairy industry an opportunity to export their products to China.

The dairy industry has to date not started exporting their products and as a result, the impact of signing the protocol has not been felt yet. The impact in terms of exporting greasy wool and beef has already been observed in terms of revenue received and opportunities to provide more employment in their operations contributing to reductions in unemployment rate and opportunities to grow the economy.

Reply:

a) The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has written to the National Treasury (NT) requesting funding for the Extension Programme and is awaiting a response. Through the normal bidding process, the Department also submitted a request to NT for Medium Term Expenditure Framework budget allocation for the Extension Programme, a response in this regard is awaited.

b) DALRRD through the provincial Department of Agriculture prioritises the recruitment of graduates on contract under the Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) grant funding. About 70% of the grant is set aside for recruiting and maintaining Extension Practitioners. Currently, about 375 Extension Practitioners are employed on contract through ERP thus most of the 70% allocation is committed. Without sustainable funding, the Department is unable to implement the Extension Programme (employment of 10000 Extension Practitioners).

In addition, the Department through the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) Graduate Placement Programme places biennially, 1000 qualified unemployed graduates in farms and enterprises across the value chain for 24 months to acquire practical hands-on experience and entrepreneurial development. For the past 5 years, 3092 graduate placement opportunities were provided to graduates across all provinces.

Reply:

(1) (i) Office of the Minister
Job Title	(a) Name		(b) Qualifications	(c) Skills	(aa)
Chief of Staff	Mr RA Cabanac		Grade 12, Bachelor of Laws (LLB)	Legal research and writing, People management and teams, Communication and interpersonal skills, Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, Time management and organisational skills, Client relationship management, Content creation and video editing, Social media management.	1
Community Outreach Officer	Mr SK Ngobese		Grade 12, Bachelor of Social Science (Industrial Organisational and Labour studies, Industrial Psychology, Bachelor of Social Science Honours (Industrial Organisational and Labour Studies	Political Researcher, External Research Collaborator, Provincial Coordinator, Researcher and Media Officer, Media Liaison Officer, Head of Strategic Operational and Owner: Media Company.	1
Assistant Appointment and Administrative Secretary	Ms MSA Du Plessis		Grade 12, National Diploma in Food Science and Pathology Business Leadership and Strategic Management	Experience in facilitation and Broker, finance and project management, Agricultural management and Report writing	1
Total=3
(ii) Office of the Deputy Minister
Job Title		(a) Name	(b) Qualifications	(c) Skills	(aa)
Head of Office		Mr MB Mngadi	Grade 12, Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management	Strategic Leadership skills, Financial management, Communication, negotiation and Networking Skills, Project Management.	1
Parliamentary and Cabinet Support		Ms LA Matoti	Grade 12, National Diploma	Media release coordination, Events and travel coordination, Project management, Corporate communication, Diplomatic advisory role, Stakeholder relationship building, Executive support services, Office Administration / Management.	1
Community Outreach Officer		Ms AS Mzinjana	Grade 12, National Diploma and Advanced Diploma.	Leadership, Administrative Communication, Report writing, Stakeholder engagement, Problem solving, Strategic planning, Diary management, Data collection analysis, Document and file management, Microsoft Office Suite, Video conferencing (Zoom & MS Teams).	1
Receptionist		Ms A Nobangayi	Grade 12	Executive Support, Travel & Coordination skills, Database administration, Records Management, Filing & Document Management, Advanced Microsoft Packages (MS Word, Excel, Publisher, Access, Project & Visio).	1
Household Aide		Ms B Zatelela	Grade 10	Excellent cleaning and organizing skills. Proficient in various household tasks such as cooking, laundry & general maintenance. Good communication and interpersonal skills. Strong time-management and multi-tasking skills.	1
Household Aide		Ms S Gqeba	Grade 12	Conflict resolution skills, Maintenance & Repairs, Quality assurance and control, Excellent telephone etiquette, Time management and Negotiation skills.	1
Total=6

(aa) Nine (9)

(bb) Yes, all the appointment processes were followed when appointing the above employees and in compliance with the Guide for the Members of the Executive dated 02 November 2022, the Public Service Act, 1995 (PSA), the Public Service Regulations, 2016 (PSR) and its Determinations, and Directives.

(2) No, all standard appointment procedures were complied with in accordance with the Guide for the Members of the Executive dated 02 November 2022 and the Public Service Regulations, 2016 for all employees appointed in the Office of the Minister and Deputy Minister.

(a) (b) Falls away

Reply:

Yes. As I mentioned on 16 July 2024 during the presentation of the Department's budget vote to Parliament, the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan (AAMP) serves as the foundation for the inclusive growth of our sector. The AAMP binds social partners to work collectively towards achieving tangible growth in the agricultural sector by 2030.

Among its key priorities, the AAMP seeks to enhance agricultural infrastructure and related logistics. Value Chain Round Tables and a Transformation Scheme have been established to facilitate efficient coordination , communication, and collaboration; both of which report to the AAMP Oversight Executive Committee. The institutional framework created during the coordination and negotiation of this social compact remains intact and continues to be a crucial platform for any collaborative efforts aimed at fulfilling the goals of an inclusive and thriving agricultural sector.

Reply:

The Department of Agriculture is not involved in the feasibility study for Makhathini Flats.

Reply:

1. The Department is implementing measures to empower and mainstream designated groups, including women, in the sector. The recently approved National Policy on Comprehensive Producer Development Support (NPCPDS) which aims to regulate and guide the provision of support to the various categories of producers, stipulates and upholds conditions which enable all previously disadvantaged citizens and targeted groups (women, youth, people with disabilities, etc.) by ensuring that at least 50% of women, 40% of youth and 10% of persons with disabilities get supported.

On land access, the Ministry of Land Reform and Rural Development is implementing the Beneficiary Selection and Land Allocation Policy (BSLAP) which also regulates that at least 50% of land must be allocated to women.

The Norms and Standards for the inclusion of Designated Groups (NSDG) provides guidelines for setting measurable targets for departmental programmes to prioritize designated groups and to articulate precise targets. The NSDG advocates for departmental programmes to benefit at least 50% of women, 40% of youth and 10% of persons with disabilities and will be enforced through the Departmental Programmes Approval Committees.

2. The Department does not have an Agricultural Development Agency. This is a private organisation with no cooperation agreement with the Department. The Department is therefore unable to comment on the impact of the agency.

Reply:

1. Declassification does not presently have a negative impact on sheep farmers in South Africa. South Africa ranks among the top ten (10) largest wool producers in the world, with 44.8 tonnes produced during the 2023/2024 financial years. However, this is not without challenges such as skill shortages in sheep shearing and access to high-quality breeding animals.

2. The de-listing of sheep shearing is based on the categorisation process for scarce skills, with sheep sharing only being offered at NQF level 3 while the categorisation process considers qualifications at NQF Level 6 in order to be classified as a scarce skill.

Yes, there are plans in place to ensure that the skills are upscaled in order to increase the wool off take. The Department declared small stock animal recording and improvement scheme as an important tool to improve wool production within the value chain and related products under the Animal Improvement Act No 62 of 1998.

During the 2018/19 financial year, the Department made an investment of over R18 million into the wool production value chain.

The Department will continue to inject human capital and financial investment and collaborate with relevant stakeholders such as the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), the National Wool Growers Association (NWGA), the departmental Grootfontein Agricultural Training Institute in the Eastern Cape and farmer associations and to supply genetically superior rams to smallholder wool producers who are involved in the small stock (wool) value chain. Currently wool farmers have not raised any skills and labour shortage.

Reply:

 

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE:

In South Africa, 82% of land is suitable for agriculture and 69% thereof is suitable for livestock production and wildlife and 13% is suitable for dry land agriculture. Communal livestock production activities take place in at least 17% of the land suitable for livestock production. The communal sector comprises at least 40% of the national livestock herd.

The value addition that goes with feed lotting contributes to the production of sufficient products of high value to be exported to markets like Saudi Arabia which increases off take of livestock for slaughter to international markets. The rural communal farmers are able to supply the feed lotters with animals and obtain the much-needed cash injections for survival. The value adders are able to improve on the animals and, by so doing, further enhance job creation.

The production of other products like leather and wool is also improved in the process, thus contributing to livelihoods and job creation such as wool shearing and tanning of skins and hides. Countries within the region of Saudi Arabia witness the quality of South African products and express interest for the same products thus further expanding the markets for South African livestock products. These activities lead to current and future opportunities for growth and development in the agricultural sector

Reply:

No. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is aware of the existence of private virtual fresh produce markets but is not currently planning to venture into this terrain. DALRRD has engaged with the Competition Commission of South Africa (CCSA) in its current Fresh Produce Market Inquiry (FPMI) with a view to finding a lasting solution to the issue of ensuring access to fresh produce markets for all farmers in South Africa.

Reply:

 

1. The Limpopo Department of Agriculture could only react to the incident with the assistance of the South African Police Services (SAPS) as the matter was under criminal investigation. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals undertook an investigation to determine if there was any cruelty to animals. It was established that the deceased were thrown into the pig enclosure but the police investigation and the post-mortem conducted on the corpses revealed that the pigs did not consume the human remains. The pigs that were in the enclosure were short-dead? and fed to the lions but were not slaughtered for sale for human consumption.
2. Yes, the pigs that were in the informal enclosure were shot and were not made available for sale for human consumption.
3. No, the farm was informal and the Department is not able to provide any list of companies and regular customers, nor dates of any customers purchasing from the property nor any other details.

(a),(b) Falls away.

Reply:

(a),(b) The Department has not conducted an assessment on the productivity of land restored through various land reform programmes. However, in 2019 the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development commissioned the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and Intsika to conduct an assessment on 2 062 farms allocated under the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS). This study was designed 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 production status of the farms to provide a baseline performance statistic. The farms were then categorised as follows:

• commercially viable;
• medium viable;
• livelihood; and
• non-viable.

Of the 2 062 farms that were assessed, 529 received support through the Recapitalisation and Development Programme (RADP). The assessment found that 132 farms (24%) operated at commercial level (11%) and medium scale (13%). 397 farms (76%) performed at livelihood level and the others were not productive. Generally, the assessment revealed that recapitalised farms performed slightly better than non-recapitalised farms.

Reply:

The Minister will ensure that the recommendations of the forensic report are fully implemented. Furthermore, the Minister will follow up with the relevant law enforcement agencies to establish progress made on the investigation and resolution of issues raised in the forensic report.

Reply:

There has been no deviation from the normal recruitment and selection of advisors and staff in the office of the Minister of Agriculture.

Reply:

a) Ten (10) agribusinesses to the value of R110 151 222.97 were approved for support through the Agri BEE Fund.

(b)(i),(ii),(iii),(iv) Refer to below table

ANNEXURE A TO NA-QUES 869 OF 2024

AGRIBUSINESSES SUPPORTED FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS

No.	Enterprise name	Commodity	Type of support	Gender	Province	Financial Year Approved	Total project Value	Grant Amount	Own contribution
1.	Umzimkhulu Treated Timbers (Pty) Ltd	Timber	Value adding infrastructure	1 Male	KwaZulu-Natal	2019/20	R4 850 017,85	R4 365 016,07	R485 001,79
2.	Pangane and Sons Macadamia, Vegetables and Stock Farming (Pty) Ltd	Nuts and vegetables	Agro-processing Infrastructure	4 Males	Mpumalanga	2020/21	R1 757 994,29	R 1 582 194.86	R175 799,43
3.	Kaapschon Boerdery 35 (Pty) Ltd	Fruit	Value adding infrastructure	2 Males	Western Cape	2019/20	R4 998 991,20	R4 499 092,08	R499 899,12
4.	Dreamland Piggery (Pty) Ltd	Smallstock	Agro-processing Infrastructure	2 Females 2 Males	Gauteng	2020/21	R4 979 738,00	R4 481 764,20	R497 973,80
5.	D&M Fresh Products (Pty) Ltd	Fruit	Value adding infrastructure	1 Female 1 Male	Western Cape	2019/20	R4 999 999,39	R4 499 999,45	R499 999,94
6.	Herbivore Earthfoods (Pty) Ltd	Plant-based foods	Agro-processing Infrastructure	1 Female	Western Cape	2022/23	R15 691 157,34	R12 552 925,87	R3 138 231,47
7.	Nohari Farms CC	Fruit and vegetables	Value adding infrastructure	4 Females 6 Males	KwaZulu-Natal	2022/23	R4 950 044,57	R4 455 040,11	R495 004,46
8.	Re-Fihlile Trading 902 CC/ Dairy Corporation Employee Share Scheme	Equity/Dairy	Equity	2 Females 10 Males	Free State	2022/23	R11 020 000,00	R8 816 000,00	R2 204 000,00
9.	Buyshoek Boerdery (Pty) Ltd	Vegetable	Value adding infrastructure	1 Male	Limpopo	2023/24	R5 000 000,00	R4 500 000,00	R500 000,00
10.	Hornbill Group	Wine	Agro-processing Infrastructure	1 Female 1 Male	Western Cape	2023/24	R51 903 280,33	R41 522 624,26	R10 380 656,07
				Total			R110 151 222.97	R91 274 656.90	R18 876 566,08

Reply:

a) Clinical signs of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) were detected on 30 April 2024 on a dairy farm in Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape province and a diagnosis of FMD was confirmed by the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research laboratory. Surveillance by clinical inspection and testing of animals were implemented to enable early detection of disease. All farms where suspicious lesions were seen in cattle, or where contact with positive animals could be established, were placed under quarantine with strict movement control, census of animals and individual identification of animals. Animals were sampled to determine the disease status of these farms.

Cattle on 33 farms have tested positive for the disease. Cattle on these positive farms have been vaccinated without delay to decrease the viral load and to control the severity of the clinical signs seen especially in dairy cattle. Despite efforts to implement biosecurity measures on the farms, the disease continued to spread in the area and to adjacent properties.

Requests were received to pre-emptively vaccinate dairy cattle on farms that have not been confirmed as being FMD-positive but were perceived to be at high risk of infection. Permission was granted to pre-emptively vaccinate cattle on 36 farms.

b) To prevent further spreading of the disease beyond the affected area, the Department declared a Disease Management Area (DMA), which includes parts of the Kouga and Kou-Kamma Municipalities.

The DMA makes it possible to control the movements of animals out of, into and within the affected area. The main aim of the DMA is to prevent the outward spread of the outbreaks, to areas not previously affected. In addition, the DMA aims to decrease the further spread of the disease within the affected area, as this will decrease the viral load and infection pressure in the area. No cloven-hoofed animals, animal products derived from cloven-hoofed animals or genetic material of cloven-hoofed animals may be moved from, to, or within the DMA except under the authority of a state veterinary permit and in compliance with the conditions of such permit. Intensive surveillance in and around the affected areas is ongoing.

Reply:

Working with the relevant government departments, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) participated in negotiations to establish the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This mega Free Tade Area (FTA) intends to open larger preferential market access for traded goods and services in the African continent. The Agreement covers, amongst others, trade in goods, services, investment, intellectual property rights and the competition policy. The fundamental objective of the AfCFTA is to create a duty-free single large regional market for traded goods and services with the goal to increase intra-Africa trade and deepen regional economic integration in the Continent. This large regional market comprises about 55 African countries. The Department participated in different critical areas of the AfCFTA negotiations such as the Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures, rules of origin, tariff negotiations (development of offers), industry workshops/ webinars and preparations for the commencement of trade. The Department further participated in the relevant implementation meetings (structures/Committees of the AfCFTA).

As part of the AfCFTA market access, South Africa has identified Central Africa, Eastern Africa, North Africa and Western Africa as the regions with the greatest new trade potential for the country. The full implementation of the AfCFTA will result in the elimination of trade barriers and enable the sector to increase agricultural exports to regions beyond Southern Africa and eventually boost intra-Africa trade.

Apart from the AfCFTA, the Department actively participated in the implementation meetings under the SACU Agreement and the SADC Free Trade Area with the view to advance and protect the interests of the sector. Through the effective implementation of these preferential trade Agreements, the sector has been able to increase agricultural exports and market share in the Southern African region.

Reply:

 

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE:

(a) No official attended the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in an official capacity.

(b) Falls away.

Reply:

 

1. Measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change on agriculture, including strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the sector and to promote sustainable farming practices may not be specific but vary. As mandated by national legislation on climate change, sectors including agriculture, are required to develop and implement climate change sector response measures which are inclusive of policies, strategies, and programmes to combat the impact of climate change.

 

To this end, the Department has developed several policies and strategies and is currently implementing climate change adaptation and mitigation sector plans, programmes and strategies. These include the climate-smart agriculture strategic framework and climate change adaptation and mitigation sector plan to promote sustainable farming practices, create awareness of the impact of climate change, reduce agricultural emissions, and promote and increase the adaptative capacity of the sector by enhancing the resilience of all farmers, especially the under-resourced, small-scale and subsistence farmers. These categories of farmers are particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change and, also safeguard national priorities such as food security in accordance with the sustainable development goals.

 

The Climate Change Act No. 22 of 2024 mandates sectors to put in place response measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change; hence my Department is planning to develop the greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan for the agriculture sector in line with the gazetted Draft Sectoral Emission Targets Report for public comment. These two documents will be aligned with the Climate Change Act, 2024.

 

Through the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act No. 43 of 1983, and the Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Bill passed by Parliament and awaiting assent, the Department will promote mitigation measures through regulatory interventions, which will enhance the optimal use of natural agricultural resources without degrading such resources. Other programmatic measures include soil, veld and climate long-term research projects within various agro-ecosystems of the country, promotion of the Landcare programme, demarcation of high potential agricultural land and the sharing of production practices that reduce reliance on fertiliser and increasing soil health and veld cover for increased production at reduced cost, thereby improving farmers livelihoods.

 

The Conservation Agriculture Policy is also one of the mitigation measures to address the principles of climate-smart agriculture. Through the application of conservation agriculture principles, an enabling environment will be created to not only increase productivity and efficiency on farms but will also curb production costs and mitigate threats to soil health, water quality and biodiversity.

 

 

2. The Department is currently rolling out various adaptation programmes and projects such as the climate-smart agriculture programmes and projects, including facilitating and promoting national and provincial climate-smart agriculture (CSA) dialogues and climate change awareness programmes and workshops in various provinces.

 

Furthermore, an ecosystem approach to sustainable agriculture and land management is promoted and implemented.  This approach is based on the practical application of the following locally adapted interlinked principles of:

 

1. continuous zero or minimum mechanical soil disturbance (no-till seeding/planting and weeding, and minimum soil disturbance with all other farm operations, including harvesting);
2. permanent maintenance of soil organic cover (crop biomass, stubble and cover crops); and
3. diversification of cropping systems (environmentally and socially adapted rotations, sequences and/or associations, involving annuals and perennials, and including legumes and cover crops), along with other complementary good agricultural production and land management practices.

 

Support provided includes the assessment of soil fertility and capacity building on soil health. Thus, best practises focusing on efficient fertiliser use with increased crop yield underlines any programmes and/or initiative that aims at promoting climate-resilient crops, water-efficient irrigation techniques, and soil conservation methods.

 

The Department is also currently implementing renewable energy programmes such as the crop-livestock integrated system wherein livestock manure is used to generate methane gas for cooking and lighting in their households. The project was implemented in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, and North West Provinces. This project aims to reduce methane from enteric fermentation. This project also assists subsistence farmers with rainwater harvesting techniques and promotes efficient water use through the drip irrigation technology. The project further assists subsistence farmers with shade nets for growing vegetables. The shade nets assist subsistence farmers to conserve moisture lost as a result of evaporation.

 

Other departmental climate change initiatives and programmes include the “Crop suitability to climate change: Agronomic performance of sorghum-based cropping systems in some smallholder farming areas of South Africa”. The long-term objective of this project is to assess the potential impact of climate change variables (rainfall, temperature) on the productivity of sorghum, both as a food crop and for bio-industrial processes in five provinces (North West, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Free State).

The expected outcomes of this research project include increased resilience and adaptation that are directly linked to climate change and the impact thereof on smallholder producers and to co-create solutions to challenges faced, improve sorghum production and enhance food and nutrition security. The implementation of the crop suitability to climate change programme promotes drought-resistant cultivars such as sorghum and follows on the successful crop suitability soyabean projects that were implemented in line with the other programmes such as Landcare, which incorporate conservation agriculture approaches.

 

(c) The implementation of cover crops within selected Landcare projects and on Agricultural Research Council (ARC) research farms is in process. The project is to establish ten (10) on-farm applied research as well as station basic research demonstrations covering cropping sites in seven provinces (KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo, Free State and North West). These demonstration sites will be used to introduce cover crops in smallholder farming systems for improved soil fertility, health, water conservation and adaptation to climate change. These sites will further be used to determine the effects of integrating crop and pasture-based livestock production systems on crop and livestock productivity amongst smallholder farmers. The sites are also earmarked for training purposes to provide smallholder farmers, Landcare officials, natural resources management scientists, practitioners, and extension officers with first-hand information/examples on the benefits of winter cover crops in a mixed farming system within different agro-ecological zones. The above-mentioned climate change initiatives and programmes are implemented in collaboration with the ARC, academic and research institutions, government stakeholders and role-players in South Africa.

 

Reply:

The Department uses one of the pillars of the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) dedicated to Training and Capacity Building of farmers. 10% of the total CASP budget is ringfenced for various capacity building interventions. Training provided to farmers ranges from technical, production, business and entrepreneurship, as well as Occupational, Health and Safety.

Technological farming methods are handled as part of the technical training component. The specific aspects of training to be provided to farmers are identified through a skills audit conducted in provinces before training commences.

The Department also uses the LandCare Programme principle, which are Government, Community, individual capacity through targeted training, education, and support mechanisms. Training needs are received through conducting skills audits which result in skills audit reports and training plans.

The Department further uses the LandCare Programme Business Plan Development Guideline to build capacity of beneficiaries and farmers to adopt sustainable food production technologies. The guideline indicates that 10% of the overall provincial conditional grant must be allocated to capacity building.

The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) as an entity of the Department, has an approved strategy for training and supporting farmers and other agricultural value chain actors. The strategy is implemented through several training and capacity development programmes, some of which are implemented with the Provincial, Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), NGOs and industry.

The Department uses research projects in partnership with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) to build capacity of farmers planting cover crops, Conservation Agriculture mechanisation training and training on the use of spectroscopy for soil analysis.

Training, capacity building and awareness on research projects conducted by ARC includes training of officials in both National and Provincial Departments of Agriculture, Farmers and communities are involved in training on the identification of problematic plant species which are declared in terms of Conservation of Agriculture Resources Act CARA, Act No. 43 of 1983, control and monitoring of the spread of such plants and dissemination of information to broader community members with an aim to curb the spread and reduce impact on natural agricultural resources to ensure food security.

In 2023, the Department initiated a project in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council to undertake the promotion of irrigation scheduling tools. Three provinces were selected for the pilot project i.e., Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and North West. Irrigation scheduling is the process used by managers of irrigation systems to determine the correct frequency and duration of watering. There are however, many technologies available on the market.

For this project, the Department selected the Chameleon and the Fullstop wetting front detector as the Department was involved in the research undertaken by the Water Research Commission (WRC) on these technologies. Training of farmers has been undertaken in Limpopo and recently in KZN on the use of irrigation scheduling tools. Farmers were then provided with the Chameleon and the Fullstop wetting front detector. The Department is in the process of monitoring the use of these technologies in Limpopo and North West and will be concluded in 2025.

The ARC trains extension practitioners to have a multiplier effect for reaching farmers. These include the Climate Smart Agriculture training on strategies for farmers to mitigate against the effects of climate change and variability. Most ARC research programmes are designed with a developmental component that include farmer participation in research (through on-farm trials), peer learning, on-site demonstrations, and small enterprise development.

Some of the notable work that ARC has done in this area includes potato and sweet potato production and agro-processing enterprise development. the intervention includes technical training and coaching on the production of value-added sweet potato and potato products e.g. yoghurts, flour, chips, jam and others.

The national Kaonafatso ya Dikgomo (KYD) programme includes farmer training, support and disseminating information on new technologies for farmer adoption. The programme facilitates smallholder farmers' access to marketing channels such as auctions, sales yards and abattoirs. There are also programmes to facilitate the adoption of traditional (and indigenous), nutrition-dense, climate-resilient food crops by farmers as part of the food-based approach to reduce food insecurity.

More recently the ARC and DALRRD have been conducting research to explore drone technology usage by small-scale farmers to assist with diagnosing challenges and context-driven technical solutions.

ARC has developed several digital tools and applications to assist farmers in identifying pests and diseases and guide spraying and planting advice etc.

ARC organises farmer field days and cultivar days to give farmers exposure and information on new technologies (cultivars, farming methods, implements etc). These events also serve to inform the ARC’s research agenda.

ARC is involved in niche crops and leads the work on Cannabis through technical advice and value addition for product development.

Reply:

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE:

1. Yes, mechanisation support is still relevant as it has been incorporated into the approved National Policy on Comprehensive Producer Development Support (NPCPDS). The NPCPDS was drafted to provide mechanisation support to farmers in accordance with producer categories as defined in the Policy. The need to categorise producers was aimed at providing support according to the size of the operation and considered the fact that producers’ needs and challenges on mechanisation vary.
2. No. The mechanization policy is already incorporated into the National Policy on Comprehensive Producer Development Support which was approved by Cabinet in March 2024. Mechanization is regarded as part of the holistic support that is provided to producers together with inputs in terms of the Policy (refer to Section 1.1.1 in page 14 of the NPCPDS).

Reply:

(a)(i) Eleven (11).

(ii) Seven (7).

(b)(i),(ii),(iii) Please refer to the table below.

Office of the Minister
(i) Job Title	Salary Level		Number of posts		(ii) Annual Remuneration Package			(iii) Highest level of academic qualification
Special Advisor	13-16		2		R 1 216 824-R 2 259 984			Not yet appointed
Chief of Staff	14		1		R 1 436 022			LLB
Private and Appointment Secretary	13		1		R 1 216 824			Not yet appointed
Media Liaison Officer	13		1		R 1 216 824			Not yet appointed
Parliamentary Officer	13		1		R 1 216 824			Not yet appointed
Community Outreach Officer	11		1		R 849 702			Not yet appointed
Assistant Appointment and Administrative Secretary	09		1		R 608 329.32			Not yet appointed
Receptionist	05		1		R 296 491.29			Not yet appointed
Household Aide	03		2		R 212 552.76			Not yet appointed
Total			11
Office of the Deputy Minister
(i) Job Title		Salary Level		Number of posts		(ii) Annual Remuneration Package	(iii) Highest level of academic qualification
Head of Office		13		1		R 1 216 824	Master of Management
Private and Appointment Secretary		12		1		R 1 003 890	Not yet appointed
Parliamentary and Cabinet Support		11		1		R 849 702	National Diploma
Community Outreach Officer		11		1		R 849 702	Not yet appointed
Receptionist		05		1		R 296 491.29	Grade 10
Household Aide		03		2		R 212 552.76	Grade 10
Total				07

Reply:

(1)(a) The Department of Agriculture will continue to prioritise the farmer support and development programmes. These programmes are crafted to ensure that funding is provided in the form of infrastructure, production inputs, mechanization, training, extension support, working capital and furthermore ensures that market access support is also provided to beneficiaries. The funding programmes in the department are as follows:

• Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP), a Schedule 5 conditional grant;
• Ilima/ Letsema programme (Schedule 5 conditional grant);
• Land Care Programme (Schedule 5 conditional grant);
• Agri-BEE Fund;
• Land Development Support grant for land reform beneficiaries; and
• the Blended Finance Scheme including the Agro-Energy Fund – for alternative energy solutions.

(b),(c) All the producer support programmes above, in the main covers the following areas: machinery, implements / equipment, production inputs, agricultural infrastructure (e.g. packhouses, storage sheds, water infrastructure). For farmers who cannot afford a loan, the support is in the form of conditional grants. This type of support is mainly for subsistence and smallholder producers. For small to large commercial producers, the support is in the form of blended finance until they are bankable to access straight loans.

(d) The Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan (AAMP) provides the framework to assist farmers on agro-processing initiatives. Respective farmers are assisted to reduce post-harvest loses. The aim is to contribute to household food security. Farmers are assisted to procure value-add equipment and machinery through access to funding. State funding instruments include CASP, Blended Finance and Agri-BEE. The blended finance is offered in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Land Bank and ABSA. Information is also widely shared with respective farmers on methods to beneficiate raw agricultural products.

(e) The implementation of the AAMP is critical in addressing logistic challenges which have already been lifted as one of the priority areas to be addressed in order to get the agricultural economy on track. Engagements will continue with other key stakeholders like the Department of Transport to ensure priority is given to the sector related logistics infrastructure like access roads and ports.

(2) The Department does not have a category of producer called emerging farmers. We have categorised producers into subsistence, smallholder and commercial in the National Policy on Comprehensive Producer Development Support (NPCPDS) which was approved by Cabinet in March 2024. Therefore, what is important is to ensure that all producers are self-reliant meaning irrespective of size, commercialization must be a principle applied by all producers towards self-reliance and ensuring food security for all.

The above-mentioned programmes like the Blended Finance Scheme is designed to enhance access to finance in order to gain the economies of scale and ensure an inclusive agricultural sector.

Furthermore, the role of the Department in marketing, as envisioned by the Integrated Agricultural Marketing Policy (IAMP), is to provide a range of agricultural marketing support services to enhance participation by all role players across the various agricultural value chains. The Department implements various marketing support programmes that are aimed at enabling producers, particularly smallholder producers to gain access to markets and accelerate the commercialization programme.

The above-mentioned support programmes include provision of marketing information, and the marketing skills development programme, Good Agricultural Practices Certification Programme (SA-GAP), and market linkages programme. The SA-GAP certification programme is aimed at providing assurance to potential buyers that the food produced by smallholder producers is safe for human consumption.

Regarding marketing information, the Department disseminates a wide range of market information to producers and other value chain players through the Marketing Information System (MIS), which is a web-based system that can be accessed on the internet and through cell phone. The information distributed through the system includes daily prices for agricultural products (fresh produce and grains) and weekly prices for meat, standards and grading information and contact information for various markets and market agents. This information is distributed to get producers to understand the prevailing market conditions and to inform them about the existing alternative marketing channels and to bring to the fingertips of farmers into contact with information for various markets.

The marketing skills development programme is being implemented on a continuous basis to empower producers on how the markets operate (mechanics) and to provide them with an exposure to different marketing channels. e.g. fresh produce farmers are capacitated on fresh produce marketing and are also given an opportunity to participate in the market exposure visit for them to meet with market management and agents. The goal is to empower producers with knowledge about markets and to give them an opportunity to meet with market managers and facilitate deals on their own with those markets.

The Department also administers the preferential market access programme and issues import and export quotas and permits to traders to enable them to import and export certain agricultural products at reduced rates of duty. This system gives preference to previously disadvantaged companies and/or traders.

(3)(a) Agri-hubs are an important aggregator of produce from smallholder producers in particular and enables their participation along the value chain. As a result, the current Department of Land Reform and Rural Development has implemented a number of Farmer Production Support Units (FPSUs), which are the first leg of the Agri-Parks programme. Engagements with National Treasury are ongoing to source funding from the Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) to implement this programme. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture has re-engineered the Agri-hub model and attracted additional funding from National Treasury (BFI) to develop the required infrastructure for these Agri-hubs. The plan moving forward is to attract partners and funders to invest in Agri-hubs across the country and ensure inclusivity along the value chains by all farmers, irrespective of size.

In this regard, the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) is in the process of appointing a Transactional Advisor funded through the Middle-Income Country (MIC) grant approved and endorsed by National Treasury. This process is at appointment stage with work anticipated to commence in the upcoming months.

The AfDB funded process will repurpose the Agri-Parks Programme to be self-sustainable and bankable. This work will provide viable options for a management structure for public private sector investments in the Agri-Parks in collaboration with DTIC.

(b) The work to be undertaken by the Transactional Advisor as reported under part (3)(a) above will include feasible options on how the Agri-Hubs can be integrated under the DTIC Special Economic Zones initiatives.

(4) Please refer to the reply provided under part (2) above.

Reply:

a) The matter pertaining to the Ownership of the Lesedi Building has been referred to the State Attorney and as such the Legal Opinion advice from the State Attorney is pending. The Department through the Accounting Officer has then resolved to arrange a meeting with the erstwhile Directorate: Entrepreneurial Development (DED) Management to provide further information pertaining to this matter and the meeting will probably take place during the month of August 2024.

b) The handover date has not yet been determined and this will be guided or informed by the outcomes of the meeting scheduled for the month of August.

Reply:

The relationship of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) is defined in terms of a collaboration agreement entered in 2022. This agreement identifies the following main collaborative areas:

• implementation of the agricultural pillar of the bio-economy strategy of DSI through the Agriculture Bio-economy Innovation Partnership Programme (ABIPP);
• plant and animal improvement, including breeding and genome sequencing;
• implementing human capital development;
• biosecurity;
• bio-innovation in support of nutrition security;
• sustainable natural resources management; and
• digital knowledge platforms.

More than 30 initiatives have been implemented under the ABIPP including multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary research in support of the agricultural sector. These initiatives include:

• enterprise development of orange flesh sweet potato;
• honeybush research and development project;
• crop improvement programme for grains and oil seeds;
• soybean food and nutrition programme;
• cape aloe project; and
• other farmer development projects.

DALRRD and DSI, in collaboration with the private sector, are also sponsoring the national biosecurity hub which works jointly work toward ensuring biosecurity threats are identified and dealt with timely and appropriately through:

• pest risk analyses;
• coordinating pest surveillance and pest alert systems;
• biosecurity training; and
• human capital development.

The development of a digital information hub for the collation of pest information in South Africa is another key output of the collaboration between DALRRD and DSI.

Reply:

No, the Minister has not studied the submissions made at the Mpondoland Cannabis Belt founding summit held in Port St Johns in October 2023 as this information has not been made available to the Department.

In the absence of a legislative framework on the commercialisation of cannabis, the Department cannot express a view on the submissions or plans. The Department is consulting the province to determine their plans and measures that have been put in place to assist small scale cannabis farmers in regions like Alfred Nzo District Municipality, but cannabis remains illegal and thus the activities of the Department are limited to hemp.

Reply:

(a),(b),(c)(i),(ii),(iii) Please refer to the table below.

ANNEXURE A OF NA-QUESTION 39 OF 2024

a) Programmes	b) Impact	(c)(i),(ii),(iii)Transaction details (cumulative)
		2021 -2022	2022 -2023	2023 -2024
Blended Finance Scheme (BFS)	Since its launch in March 2021, 183 producers has been supported to the total value of R3,107 billion of which R1, 204 billion was the grant and will create a total of 3 418 jobs at full operation. The average production capacity of supported poultry producers is 333 000 chickens per cycle. Commodities supported include livestock, poultry, fruits, vegetables, and grains.	8 black commercial producers were supported through IDC to a total value of R385 million of which R128,3 million is the grant creating 314 jobs. Five of the approved transactions are poultry farm expansions with an average cycle of 420 000 chickens per cycle.	19 black commercial producers were supported through IDC to a total value of R986 million of which R352 million is the grant creating 655 jobs. Ten of the approved transactions are poultry farm expansions with an average cycle of 333 000 chickens per cycle. Land Bank approved 31 smallholder producers to a total value of R254,3 million of which R133 million is the grant creating 599 jobs. 12 813 Ha will be under the production of grains, fodder, fruits, nuts, vegetables, sugarcane, and red meat.	As @31 December 2023 IDC approved 29 transactions to the value R1.915 billion, of which R587,5 million is the grant creating 1445 jobs. Fourteen of the approved transactions are poultry farm expansions with an average cycle of 277 000 chickens per cycle; 220 ha of vegetables in seven farms, average piggery supported is 305 sows; and 160 ha fruits. Land Bank approved 183 producers to the total value of R1, 192 billion of which R617 million is the grant creating 1973 jobs.
Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP)	For the period 2019/20 – 2023/24, CASP has spent R6, 661 billion in 2125 projects and benefitted 59 482 smallholder producers and creating 21 762 jobs. This programme develops these farmers to be self-reliant small scale commercial producers who are exited to blended finance scheme. Many of the beneficiaries of BFS were developed through CASP.	R1, 128 billion was spent in 488 projects benefiting 6 407 producers and creating 5 564 jobs. Commodities supported include vegetables, red meat, fruits, poultry, piggery, and grains.	R1, 478 billion was spent in 457 projects benefiting 19 889 producers and creating 4 624 jobs. Commodities supported include vegetables, red meat, fruits, poultry, piggery, wool, and grains.	R1, 477 billion was spent in 396 projects supporting 6 942 producers and creating 1694 jobs. Commodities supported include vegetables, red meat, fruits, poultry, piggery, wool, and grains.
Agro-Energy Fund (AEF)	Increase access to affordable finance by producers and agro processors in the agriculture sector irrespective of race by providing grants to lower their gearing. The AEF will be used for the acquisition of alternative energy assets to generate energy for their farming or processing enterprises. The focus of the AEF is on energy intensive agricultural activities such as irrigation, intensive agricultural production systems, and on-farm cold chain related activities. The fund is targeting alternative energy sources like solar, biogas / Anaerobic digesters and Biomass (agricultural crops), the list is not exhaustive.	N/A	N/A	Since its launch on the 29th of August 2023, a total of R24.425 million has been approved as of 31 May 2024 of which R7, 989 million is the grant and R16.436 million is the loan supporting 9 transactions. The support included solar infrastructure on irrigated farms.
Micro-Agricultural Financial Institution of South Africa (MAFISA). This is a financial scheme that was introduced in 2004 to address the financial services needs of smallholder producers in the sector. The implementation of MAFISA is through a network of financial intermediaries accredited by the department to further disburse the funds to the potential smallholder producers. The fund is administered and managed by the Land Bank. The production loan is up to a minimum of R50 000 without collateral and a maximum loan of R500 000 with collateral, at an interest rate of 7% per annum	MAFISA has contributed to the entrepreneurial and enterprise development, job creation and economic growth of smallholder producers.	R7 244 889.01 with production loan support to 190 beneficiaries	R11 610 737.21 with production loan support to 247 beneficiaries	R6 908 010.62 With production loan support to 60 beneficiaries
Farmer Production Support Units (FPSUs)	The FPSU is a rural smallholder producer outreach and capacity building unit supported by the department through any or some of the following: (1) Governance structure, (2) production inputs, (3) Mechanisation support; (4) Human resources support; and (5) Producer registration. The provisioning of production inputs and mechanization assisted Black Farmers to be in production and / or increased their production yields. Black Farmers have access to formal and informal markets thus generating own income. Black farmers have FPSUs as local holding facilities for their mechanization services and production input storage for further distribution within. Jobs are created through self-employment by Black Farmers with additional temporary jobs during planting and harvesting periods. Jobs created 2021/2022: 2438 Permanent 2285 Temporary Total : 4723 2022/2023: 2509 Permanent 3998 Temporary Total: 6507 2023/2024: 2603 Permanent 3198 Temporary Total: 5801 The Department provides training to agricultural cooperatives to assist them to improve operational efficiencies and enhance competitiveness using the Farmtogether cooperative training programme. The programme addresses a wide range of skills that include among others governance in cooperatives, financial management, record keeping, markets and contract negotiations, agribusiness management, conflict resolution mechanisms, leadership skills, and compliance (Training) 2021/2022: 91 2022/2023:100 2023/2024:108
Eastern Cape		R31 498 995,17	R22 740 411,84	R50 886 326.87
Free State		R14 510 209,05	R5 566 661,76	R14 126 706.71
Gauteng		R26 476 308,49	R32 286 113,69	R25 622 660.98
KwaZulu-Natal		R82 574 395,26	R34 186 478,74	R58 014 826.66
Limpopo		R41 455 451,80	R20 361 522,00	R27 867 565.53
Mpumalanga		R47 711 159,06	R69 407 740,38	R25 100 388.52
North West		R16 710 972,47	R17 055 806,16	R2 686 582.77
Northern Cape		R22 992 134,92	R20 459 380 .46	R26 024 019.95
Western Cape		R3 457 724,52	R5 902 333,00	R15 285 025.30
AgriBEE Fund	For the period in question 6 Agribusinesses were supported to commercialise with value adding and processing infrastructure as well as equity acquisition to the value of R93.6 million. This has assisted in terms of improving market access and contributed to sector transformation. In addition, an estimated 67 jobs were created.	R0	R 31 661 201,91	R 61 903 280,33

Reply:

(1)(a) In 2019, the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) measured black farmers' contribution (i.e. Africans, Coloured, and Asians) to total commercial production. The NAMC established that about 8.1% of commercial agricultural production was produced by black farmers between 2015 and 2019, and the rest were white farmers. This has gradually increased to 10.3% between 2019 and 2023. Industries such as sugar, red meat, wool, and mohair have a relatively high volume of production from black farmers while fruit and grain commodities are lagging. This partly illustrates the high barrier costs emanating from land and capital requirements to enter grain and fruit production as compared to the animal industry. The breakdown per major commodity is provided in Table 1 below, which averaged at around 8,2% of black farmer share.

Table:1 Black farmer’s contribution to agriculture output

Source: NAMC

(1)(b) 20% of food is accounted for by smallholder farmers, while 80% is from commercial farmers.

(2)(a)(i),(ii),(iii),(iv) The Labour Force Employment statistics by Statistics South Africa (Stats) SA do not show a breakdown by race and foreign nationals at industry levels. Total employment in agriculture is 941 390. (Source: Stats SA).

(2)(b) Please refer to the table below.

Province	Employment in agriculture
Western Cape	215 106
Eastern Cape	99 181
Northern Cape	54 098
Free State	78 571
KwaZulu-Natal	142 695
North West	77 438
Gauteng	46 807
Mpumalanga	104 604
Limpopo	122 889

Source: Stats SA.

Reply:

(a) The export value of agricultural products surged to R55.8 billion in Quarter 1:2024, marking a 14.4% increase relative to Quarter 1: 2023. The strong export earnings were attained despite obstacles in our ports and in key export markets. The import value of agricultural products rose to R29.8 billion, marking a 2.4% increase relative to Quarter 1: 2023. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, South Africa experienced a notable 9.2% growth in net exports of agricultural commodities, while comparing Quarter 1:2023 and Quarter 1: 2024, South Africa recorded a notable 31.9% growth in net exports of agricultural commodities. The 31.9% growth in net exports of agricultural commodities is driven by a 14.4% increase in exports of grapes, apples and maize emerging as the top export products dominating the export list.

(b) The National Agricultural Marketing Council established that about 8.1% of commercial agricultural production was produced by black farmers between 2015 and 2019, and the rest were white farmers. This has gradually increased to 10.3% between 2019 and 2023.

Total Net Exports of Agricultural products in Quarter 1:2024 is R26 048 372 000.

The total net amount from black-owned production is R26 829 823 16.

Reply:

Find reply here

Reply:

a) All livestock that is kept at departmental farms is managed through programs that stipulate when supplementary feeding and mineral supplements should be provided, when vaccinations should take place and further stipulates which vaccines are appropriate for viral diseases like RB51, Brucellosis, Anthrax and Black Quarter. The vaccination programs differ from farm to farm depending on disease prevalence within any area.

Bonsmara cattle are kept on the specified farm. The Armoedsvlakte Experimental farm in the North West province was vaccinated annually in accordance with the vaccination program that is developed and guided by the Provincial Veterinary Services. Proper management of these farms in terms of health protocols is demonstrated by the fact that there has not been any animal disease outbreak whose origin can be traced to any state farms for the past five years to date.

(b)(i) The farms at all government farms procure their provisions following the normal procurement processes and most of the time utilise the RT 12 and or similar National Treasury tender systems to ensure there is a consistent supply of vaccines.

(ii) The state farms in the North West province produce their own forages, lucerne, turf etc. This is a proper farm management principle that helps to meet provincial fodder flow for winter/drought intervention.

The locally developed Bonsmara cattle kept on this farm are adaptable and rely on a natural extensive (veld) farming system as is the case with other indigenous and locally developed farm animals in South Africa. However additional feeds (mineral licks) are procured and provided to animals to complement natural veld, and this is also to ensure that animals receive additional balanced nutrition throughout the year.

Reply:

a) The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) through the Provincial Departments of Agriculture (PDAs) is providing Extension and Advisory Services (EAS) to various categories of farmers. Public extension practitioners provide support mostly to smallholder and subsistence farmers whereas most commercial farmers have private extension practitioners.

b) DALRRD developed an extension programme to increase the capacity of EAS by recruiting unemployed agricultural graduates as extension practitioners at entry level as Assistant Agricultural Practitioners (AAPs). This programme was only implemented for several months through which 4 370 AAPs were employed and deployed to various local agricultural offices to service farmers. The programme was discontinued in July 2023 due to limited financial support.

Currently the only limited funding available is the Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) which is a grant fund that aims to ensure:

• visibility and accountability;
• professionalism and improving image;
• recruitment of Extension Personnel; and
• reskilling and re-orientation and provision of ICT and other resources.

Already 70% of the grant pays for salaries of extension practitioners who are employed on contract and the remaining 30% serves the other four pillars.

The Department still intends, subject to budget availability, to employ unemployed graduates at entry level as Assistant Agricultural Practitioners. In this regard, engagements with National Treasury are continuing to source sustainable funding for the programme. Once the funds are made available the programme will be implemented as planned with Provincial Departments of Agriculture leading as the main employer of Extension Practitioners.

Reply:

Chapter 1 of the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22, Act 22 of 1994, as amended, under the definitions defines “equitable redress” as any equitable redress, other than the restoration of a right in land, arising from the dispossession of a right in land after 19 June 1913 as results f past racially discriminatory laws or practices including:

a) the granting of an appropriate right in alternative state-owned land.

b) the payment of financial compensation.

During optional workshop, as part of the activities towards the settlement of a land claim, claimants are presented with settlement options and advised/requested to choose their preferred option for the settlement of their claim from the below options:

1. Restoration.
2. Alternative land;
3. Financial Compensation.

The above options are supported by policy provisions of the Commission and the Department in ensuring that equitable redress is implemented in line with enabling Legislation.

The financial compensation option allows the claimants urgency and a right to choose how justice is restored and meted out. Some of the claimants opt for financial compensation because they have land and are looking to develop or upgrade what they already have. They also want to honour their ancestors in the meaningful way through the compensation they receive. A recent evaluation conducted by UCT further confirms the positive benefits on the lives of the restitution beneficiaries.

---END---

Reply:

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has established the Blended Finance Scheme to broaden access to affordable finance through the provision of grants which are intended to complement loans granted by Participating Finance Institutions (PFI) towards the commercialisation of Black producers, with the goal being to increase the number of Black producers in the agriculture and agro-processing sector.

Land Bank was the first PFI to be signed up by DALRRD through an agreement, covering a period of 10 years, effective from 2023 to 2032. The agreement caters for an allocation, to Land Bank, of a minimum R325m of annual grant funding by DALRRD for the first three years (2023 –2025) of the agreement.

The Blended Finance Scheme provides for a grant allocation of between 40% and 60% of the total approved facilities by the PFI:

• A maximum of 60% of the total funding required by a smallholder producer (not exceeding R5m for production support and R10m for land acquisition);
• A maximum of 50% of the total funding required by a medium scale producer (not exceeding R10m for production support and R20m for land acquisition); and
• A maximum of 40% of the total funding required by a large scale producer (not exceeding R40m for production support and R50m for land acquisition).

Whereas the loan portion of the transaction is priced at market related interest rates, the grant portion of the total funding comes at no cost to the beneficiary, and is not repayable. This means that the client only pays for between 40% to 60% of the total funding received. This funding structure is therefore, in itself, an affordable financing solution which mitigates against the effects of higher interest rates.

Reply:

1. No grants were paid.

(a),(b),(c ) Falls away.

2. Mr Cleophas Mlamo, Patrick Dladla, Lungisani Mlambo, Dumazile Ntuli late, Themba Mlambo late, Samson Welcome and Dwi Welcome the two withdrawn from Committee. and four trustees have since passed way.

3. No departmental official was appointed by the Master of the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court.

END

Reply:

(1)(a) Please refer to the table below.

NO	PROPERTY DESCRIPTION	EXTENT	OWNER	Amount
1.	Erf 130 Weenen Township	19.3388ha	JL Buys	R61,906,100.00
2.	Portion 18 of erf 142	7,552 square metres	SJJ Le Roux
3.	Portion 19 of erf 142	3,040 square metres	SJJ Le Roux
4.	Erf 172 Weenen Township	23.7761ha	JL Buys
5.	Rem Ext of erf 273 Weenen Township	76.6651ha	SJJ Le Roux
6.	Rem Ext of erf 279 Weenen Township	35.4966ha	AJB Le Roux
7.	Erf 302 Weenen Township	172.8180ha	AJB Le Roux
8.	Erf 303 Weenen Township	47.6564ha	AJB Le Roux
9.	Erf 361 Weenen Township	16.7394ha	Now Trade 118 cc
10.	Erf 383 Weenen Township	4.5276ha	S Bhagwadeen Family Trust
11.	Erf 416 Weenen Township	3.0949ha	JA Du Plooy
12.	Erf 447 Weenen Township	84.3440ha	AJB Le Roux
13.	Erf 448 Weenen Township	142.5646ha	JL Buys
14.	Erf 173 Weenen Township	21ha	JL Buys
15.	Erf 174 Weenen Township	5ha	JL Buys
16.	Erf 389 Weenen Township	6ha	PR Buys
TOTAL			R61,906,100.00

(b) The settlement of the claim was delayed due to valuations of movable property and machinery. The Section 42D memorandum has been approved on the 28 March 2024 to settle all the 16 properties listed in the table above.

2. Please refer to the table below.

what are the details of farms and/or lots purchased for the Trust that are (a) rented	b) leased and/or used by third parties, including but not exclusive to the (i) names of persons and/or entities of each tenant/lessor/user	(ii) rent paid by each tenant/lessor/user	(iii) term of each rental or lease and/or use agreement and	(iv) details of the person(s) who entered into agreements with any tenants, lessors and/or users on behalf of the Trust?
Lot 384 Weenen GT & Lot 426 Weenen Township GT	Delene Wagner	R300 000 per annum for 16 rooms lodge Owl and elephant. R200 000 for the 28hectares.	The lease was signed in April 2015 as open ended until the trust secure funding to operate the farm.	Cleophas Mlambo

END

Reply:

1. From inception until 31 December 2023, 83 056 land claims have been settled, and 3 889 701 hectares of land were acquired at an amount of R25 billion. Financial compensation of R23 billion was awarded to beneficiaries. The restitution programme has benefited 2 345 547 individual beneficiaries who are members of 460 952 households and of those, 177 504 are female-headed households and 1 266 are headed by persons living with disabilities.

2. No. The Commission has set a target of 319 land claims to be settled and 339 land claims to be finalised in the 2024/25 financial year from a total of 5 944 outstanding land claims. The targets are aligned with the budget allocated. In addition to the budget allocated for the settlement of claims, an increase in human resource capacity would be vital as well as the implementation of the interim structure which is a key lever to the Backlog Reduction Strategy. At inception, the original structure of the Commission constituted 1 400 positions. However, the current start-up structure of the Department as of December 2020 states that the number of funded positions is 749 of which 693 positions are filled. This means that the Commission is presently operating at 50% of its original staff establishment

END

Reply:

(1)(a),(b),(c),(d) Please refer to the table below.

(a) details of farms and/or lots that were transferred to the Trust including but not exclusive to the (a) farm and/or Lot numbers	(b) descriptions of the farms and/or lots	(c) extent of area	(d) price paid for each farm and/or lot;
Lot 384 Weenen GT & Lot 426 Weenen Township GT	Lot 384 Weenen GT & Lot 426 Weenen Township GT	35.9597	R3 235 000.00
Lot 414 Weenen Township GT	Lot 414 Weenen Township GT	22.5173	R110 000.00

(2)(a),(b)(i),(ii) Please refer to the table below.

what are the details of all (a) fixed b) movable assets purchased to be transferred to the Trust including but not exclusive	(i) a full description of each item	(ii) the price paid for each item and/or asset?
12 Chalet and 1 Conference building	12 Chalet and 1 Conference building	R3 235 000.00

END

Reply:

 

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development relies on the Trespass Act, 1959 (Act No. 6 of 1959) to prohibit the invasion of vacant land.

The Act provides for:

“Prohibition of entry or presence upon land and entry of or presence in buildings in certain circumstances:

(1) Any person who without the permission-

(a) of the lawful occupier of any land or any building or part of a building; or

(b) of the owner or person in charge of any land or any building or part of a building that is not lawfully occupied by any person,

enters or is upon such land or enters or is in such building or part of a building, shall be guilty of an offence unless he has lawful reason to enter or be upon such land or enter or be in such building or part of a building.”