Our annual Blessing of the Harvest ceremony at La Motte stays such a special opportunity to express our gratitude for another harvest and to celebrate with the team. This year, for me, the blessing also extends to the fact that we are still able to farm and make a contribution. Agriculture is such an important industry in South Africa, but like many of the other businesses and industries with the potential to build our economy, it is often threatened, challenged and prevented from operating at its peak.
I believe that the success of SA Agriculture can be attributed to the fact that it is an organised industry. I am all for entrepreneurship and small business opportunities, but for an industry such as Agriculture to function at an optimal level, your need organisation. Such a formal, corporate system is empowered with insight and expertise and it positions itself to address the complexities of the specific industry – from financing to investment and employment, to name but a few.
Organised Agriculture consists of a framework of support structures for the industry as a holistic entity. Such agricultural associations, councils and schemes are all crucial – especially for an industry that often depends on climatic conditions, state subsidies and preferential trade agreements to be successful in production and competitive in marketing. The South African Wine Industry, for example, has a host of associations and organisations (read more) supporting producers and marketers. According to Netwerk24, the South African wine and brandy industry’s contribution to the 2022 GDP was R56.5 billion while offering employment to 270 363 people. (Read more) While financial sustainability on wine farms stays a concern, the industry’s contribution to the economy (also note wine tourism’s GDP contribution of R9.3 billion in 2022) can’t be ignored – and this is just one sub-sector of the bigger Agricultural industry.
In my opinion, having a formally structured industry, has enabled South Africa to feed its people. Why would we want to change a winning recipe? We are all aware of Agriculture’s challenges. Land is an emotive and difficult issue and regardless of your stance, the lack of clarity when it comes to policy has not done the industry any favours. Added to the uncertainty, is the continued challenge of crime in vulnerable farming communities and then there is a lack of support when it comes to creating a competitive environment through free trade agreements and preferential market arrangements. These are all complex matters and many much better qualified than me, have been at it for a long time. What I do know, is that these issues, combined with the daily challenges such as power outages, water pollution and congested ports, continue to be a threat to the success of Agriculture.
Agriculture, together with other South African industries such as mining, manufacturing, tourism… have the resources and the opportunity to contribute positively to the economy and the future of South Africa. We know that we should prioritise economic growth and development and that this goes hand in hand with a population that is educated, employed and safe. We need an environment where infrastructure is maintained, where electricity and water supply are reliable and where there’s an end to the sickening culture of corruption. Our industries have the power to change the future and Agriculture has an important role to play within this vision. For 2024, I am grateful that we are still blessed with the opportunity to contribute.