South Africa – Of the 276 000 farming units in Gauteng, including large-scale and small intensive farming units, 70% lie unused as farms – most standing idle or being used as scrapyards and second-hand car dealerships.
Boeta du Toit, Agri-North West’s CEO, said that since 2000, the number of farmers in the province had decreased from 65000 to 34000.
Emerging farmers are among the most squeezed, with hundreds quitting, and claiming that the government has “abandoned” them, with no skills and little access to markets.
The revelations come at a time when Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti has published controversial proposals requiring commercial farmers to hand over half their land to farmworkers.
Agri-Gauteng CEO Derrick Hanekom said Gauteng was in big trouble with abandoned land.
“Land carryover from old to new owners was done haphazardly… land was given to communities who are not farmers and who, because of a lack of skills, are unable to farm…
South Africa Today – South Africa News
