South Africa’s new agriculture minister, John Steenhuisen, is pushing a renewed focus on structural reforms, biosecurity and improved trade relations with other countries.
In an interview used as the cover story in the print edition of Engineering News, Steenhuisen said other prioritised areas are more road-to-rail shifts in agricultural logistics, and the more widespread adoption of technology to reduce crime and increase productivity.
Steenhuisen repeated his determination to drive the implementation of the Agriculture and Agroprocessing Master Plan (AAMP), which he deems a solid framework on which inclusive growth in the sector can be based. The AAMP will be reviewed continually to determine which aspects have been working and where improvement is required.
Steenhuisen said the plan will evolve over time in a way that ensures the achievement of its objectives, including bigger value chains, more opportunities for small- and large-scale farmers, better biosecurity and expanding export markets.
He cited beef exports to the EU as an example, which he deems “a huge opportunity” for growth and foreign earnings, particularly if South Africa can demand higher prices on the back of high levels of biosecurity.
Steenhuisen described transport logistics as a “key problem” for agriculture, saying the huge amounts of agricultural produce transported by road instead of rail is not only costly but also resulting in goods being damaged because of potholes.
He said the new government is facilitating more private-sector participation in the rail industry, which will benefit agriculture, and his department will collaborate with other government bodies to improve agriculture corridors and ports.
Steenhuisen attended a ministerial meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) Task Force in Brazil, in July. He said small-scale farmers were being left behind, and proposed that the G20 and its partners invest in processes that could unlock local food production opportunities, especially for agro-processing at local level.
This included linking fresh produce markets and informal sector players, family farms and women- and youth-owned farms, to create a safer and more diverse set of foods while stimulating production.
Steenhuisen emphasised the importance of prioritising programmes and evidence-based policy instruments that targeted the countries and populations most affected by hunger and extreme poverty.
He is working to resolve the dispute with Botswana, which has banned some South African agricultural imports, and with the European Union, which has imposed excessively stringent phytosanitary measures on South African citrus products.
