TLU SA is displeased that the government continually disregards commercial farmers when offering financial aid.
The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Ms Thoko Didiza, on 6 April 2020, announced her department allocated aid to the amount of R1,2 billion for small scale farmers (with an annual turnover between R50 000 and R1 million). Women and young farmers, as well as farmers with disabilities, will be prioritized.
Only specific commodity sectors will qualify to apply for funding.
“It is deplorable that commercial farmers get the short end of the stick again,” says Mr Louis Meintjes, the president of TLU SA. “Despite the vital role they play in producing food – in so doing preventing food shortages and subsequent anarchy. How must we motivate the commercial farmer to continue with vital production despite the risk of exposure to the coronavirus, when the government never assists them in any manner?”
Around 70% of South Africans are urbanized and dependent on commercial farmers to produce food for the nation. According to the latest Agricultural Census, the subsistence farmers who will now benefit from the government assistance, supplies only 1,9% of the country’s food.
“Commercial farmers, the country’s biggest asset, continue to be beset by crime and farm murders during the lockdown period,” says Mr Meintjes. “Our safety patrols are locked down and we have to look to the overburdened SAPS – who does not have the capacity right now – for protection. Yet, the farmers continue with their daily tasks. They deserve better.”
Agriculture can make a difference. It is the ideal opportunity for the government bodies tasked with these programs, to reach out to agricultural organisations to determine what commercial farmers need and how the government can assist.
Read the original article in Afrikaans on TLU SA
South Africa Today – South Africa News
