Food security was the central theme of the AgriSA national congress, with Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza praising the agricultural sector but urging it do to more to relieve South Africa’s food security problems.
Minister Didiza noted that the agricultural economy is 25% larger than it was three years ago, exports have increased and the sector has generated 52 000 new jobs while the rest of the economy shed jobs.
She said that, while it celebrated its successes, the sector must prepare for “tough times ahead” because of the approach of the El Nino weather phenomenon, Food for Mzansi reported. El Nino usually brings hot and dry weather to much of Southern Africa.
“We must also be cognisant that our present success should benefit most South Africans. It will be difficult to celebrate the agricultural sector when there are 13 million South Africans who are unable to afford or produce their own food,” she said.
“To unlock the potential of agriculture, we need to work together as government, labour, industry, and communities to resolve inefficiencies and bottlenecks in our food system,” she added.
“From consultations we had with different stakeholders, it was clear that on the path toward sustainable agriculture, we need to support local production for local and export consumption, improve food safety and traceability on our plants and animals, reintroduce agricultural topics in our school curriculum.
“Build networks of resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks, and stresses, balancing interests in exports and local production, and address the food waste problem and invest in the informal sector transformed,” she said.
The issue of food affordability was raised at the congress by Mervyn Abrahams of the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group (PMBEJD).
He said that from a consumer perspective the food system was not delivering because, although farmers produced enough food, many South Africans could not afford it. Malnutrition was at the root of a “strategic and structural crisis” – 30% of boy children and 25% of girl children were stunted currently.
