Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti's land reform green paper tabled on Wednesday has drawn mostly negative comment from opposition parties.

Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson Lindiwe Mazibuko said it was concerning that despite repeated delays of its release, the version tabled was still at a draft stage and did not include a section on rural development.

The proposals had wide-ranging consequences for the South African economy, and for the prospects of uplifting and improving the lot of those dispossessed of their land rights under apartheid, she said in a statement.

"Any programme of redress must be based on the rule of law and the constitutional provisions that govern property ownership.

"Land reform must be a 'win-win' scenario in which the rights of present and future landowners are protected," she said.

The DA was concerned by a number of proposals which would hinder the achievement of these objectives.

These included the creation of a land management commission reporting to the minister with powers to subpoena, prosecute and invalidate land ownership.

"We believe it is untenable that an extra-judicial body that is not independent from a political office is granted powers to terminate land ownership rights. This also violates the constitutional principle of property rights."

On the proposed office of the land valuer general with powers to determine the value of financial compensation in cases of land expropriation, Mazibuko said the Constitution explicitly provided that this role be performed by the judiciary.

"Appointing a non-independent body to determine compensation is open to abuse and is unlikely to pass constitutional muster."

Also, those living under communal land ownership should be awarded full freehold rights in their individual capacities, she said.

Freedom Front Plus leader and Deputy Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Minister Pieter Mulder said there were improvements in the green paper that should be welcomed.

But, the proposal to limit the size of private land an individual could own created a "recipe for food shortages".

About 15% of South Africa's commercial farmers now produced 80% of food consumed.

"By placing limits on how much land these big farmers are allowed to own, the whole of the agricultural economy will be warped without the land reform problems of the government being solved," Mulder said.

Land under agricultural production had declined by 30% from 1994 to 2009.

"It places much more pressure on farmers to still produce enough food for South Africa's population of 50-million on less land."

Land reform, climate change, and the exchange rate were some of the most important reasons that had led to land not being under production any longer.

This, while only 13% of South Africa's land was suitable for sustainable intensive agricultural production.

South Africa's commercial farmers had declined from 60 000 in 1996 to less than 40 000 today.

About 40-million of South Africa's population of 50-million could not provide in their own food needs.

"That implies that every commercial farmer has to produce food for nearly 1 100 people. South Africa should, in the light of these figures, be doing much more to ensure that the commercial agricultural sector is not wiped out.

"Once a country loses its commercial agricultural sector, as was the case in Zimbabwe, it is nearly impossible to rebuild it again," Mulder said.