We gather as the world marks International Day for Poverty Eradication. Yesterday, we commemorated World Food Day in Limpopo, surrounded by producers like yourselves and big corporates. I have to remark that the reality of food insecurity cuts very deeply. I find it extremely difficult to explain why a country that is so well endowed can have such high poverty levels, especially in rural areas.

Thank you for inviting me to join you today at your annual congress.

From the interactions I have had with Agri SA leadership, what I have learned is that this 110 year old organisation has very passionate and informed members. I have also learned that the crucial linkages that agriculture requires have been established by this organisation. I am quite pleased and am looking forward to working with you for the next five years.

I have been tasked to speak about government’s vision for agriculture.

Let me first start by saying that the agriculture sector can be assured that all sectors of government support it. President Jacob Zuma was not mincing his words when he said the sector must create a million jobs by 2030. The President has thrown his weight behind many agriculture driven projects, most notably endorsing our drive to plant a million hectares of land in communal areas. The President has also stressed the importance of partnerships to achieve these results. I am sure AgriSA was on top of his mind when he was saying this.

I want to speak about our vision for agriculture. Our vision is encapsulated in our theme for the month of October: Let’s work together to ensure that all our people have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

To create a sustainable agriculture sector, we need to create a conducive environment for investment. We need to be mindful of the things that inhibit growth in our sector. Electricity costs, rising labour costs, the cost of energy all put a lot of pressure on farmers.  Agriculture is a very crucial sector and key driver of growth for the rest of the economy. We need to guard against any hinderances to growth in our sector if we want the results we are aiming for.

To achieve more growth in the sector, we need to stay very close to these sectors so we can also exert our influence. Our vision is to grow the contribution of agriculture to the South African economy. Currently, we only contribute 2.7 percent to our economy. To increase this, we have to increase investment in the sector. We have to find more markets for our producers, we need to support them, we need to ensure that the environment is conducive for farmers to thrive if we are looking at them to provide assistance to our country. I therefore wasn’t to bring the issue of land into this speech.

We cannot downplay the debate on land. On the other hand, we also can’t be too emotional about it. However, we need to bear in mind that land is a very deeply emotional issue throughout the world. What I would like to say is this: let us not react too harshly to the issue of land. We are aware of past injustices, we should be sensitive but also open to listening to different debates about this very sensitive issue. When we become too reactionary we lose sight of what we stand to contribute to the debate. One day our grand children will ask us what we contributed to the question of land. What will we say?

I also want to stress that our vision is very deeply tied to the vision of many South Africans. And by South Africans I am not excluding the members of AgriSA. We are all one. Our vision is to see our countrymen not going to bed hungry. We want to see our country free of injustice.

Job creation is a singular way in which citizens can contribute towards their own lives and destinies. There is no doubt that our sector contributes to the creation of critical employment in the economy.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude by saying that violence against farmers is violence against the entire agriculture sector. I am against violence. I think our entire sector is against violence. Let me just add that violence is not just direct violence against a farmer or farmworker. Violence relates to stock theft, to harming animals and to making the lives of those who live in farming communities unbearable.

Let me add that issues of farmworkers are important to us. We simply cannot create a viable sector without investing in our human resource capacity. No organisation can thrive without a healthy, happy workforce. I am from a labour union, and I wish to wear my old hat when I say that our vision, as government, is to have a sector that is free of any kind of injustice against the vulnerable. We need to imagine the sector we want and work towards achieving exactly that. The work will be done by us and nobody else.

In conclusion, I wish to say, on behalf of government, that we are behind the agriculture sector. We are all in this together and my door is always open for any issues in relation to our sector.