South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs, Thoko Didiza, on Monday launched the country’s AgriBEE document or charter for the agricultural sector, which aims to eliminate racial discrimination from the entire agricultural value chain.
The charter proposes that the agricultural sector make available an additional 20% of agricultural land to historically disadvantaged individuals and communities through leasehold land.
This is on top of the target set in the late 1990s by the South African government that 30% of agricultural land be transferred to historically disadvantaged people by 2014.
A specific objective of the agricultural charter is to promote equitable access for and participation of historically disadvantaged individuals in the entire agricultural value chain, Didiza said, speaking at the launch of the AgriBEE framework document in East London on Monday.
The charter also aims to deracialise the ownership and control of South Africa’s land and agricultural ownership, she added.
The document is further directed at deracialising skilled occupations in the agricultural sector as well as the management of existing and new agricultural enterprises.
The charter also looks to facilitate structural change in agricultural support systems and to assist black South Africans in owning, establishing, participating and running agricultural enterprises.
“We have seen some industry-led empowerment processes that have resulted in the dilution of the concentration assets that were solely in the hands of those who had such opportunities of meaningful economic participation in the past and thereby allowing equity ownership by those who were in the margins of our society before,” Didiza said.
“These initiatives are an indication that even in this sector it is possible to change our country’s economic landscape and become a sector that is inclusive of all its members,” she added.
“This framework document therefore should be seen as a guide to help us work together in finding solutions that will reverse the inequities that are still prevalent in our society, particularly in the economic sphere,” Didiza said.
The AgriBEE document is based on a year-and-a-half of discussions held by a number of people and groupings in the agricultural sector, she added.
The framework document also goes some way toward laying out the goals of the Agricultural Sector Plan of 2001.
The document seeks to respond to concerns raised by many individual farmers and agricultural industries who have been calling for guidance on how to attract the participation of historically disadvantaged individuals, workers and communities in their own enterprises, Didiza said.
“We are here therefore in essence to build on the commitments we made as a sector through the Agricultural Sector Plan, where we agreed on a common vision for achieving a united and prosperous agricultural sector in South Africa,” she added.
“The document also defines the building blocks for elimination of skewed participation and inequality in the agricultural sector as a result and consequence of past racially biased policies and programme for the main components of successful agriculture,” Didiza said.
In the area of human-resource development, certain targets are also proposed that “will enable us to address the challenge of illiteracy that impact negatively in the growth of the industry including human development in general”, Didiza said.
“It is our view that we commit to the improvement of literacy and numeracy skills for our workers in farms and agri-businesses. It is also critical that we look at the long-term human-resource needs of the sector and as different partners commit to meeting certain targets that can help us achieve our broad transformation objectives,” Didiza said.
On employment equity, the framework looks at a number of issues and proposes particular targets that should be met, such as the participation of women, men and the youth in junior, middle and senior management of agricultural enterprises.
“Given the importance of agricultural support services, particularly finance, we propose engagement with the financial institutions on the commitments that were made in the financial sector charter,” Didiza said.
It is also necessary to look at the roll-out of the government’s Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme to address certain challenges that emerging farmers still face.
Didiza said that she will appoint a steering committee that adequately reflects the agricultural sector and the government, which will be tasked with the job of undertaking consultations. — I-Net Bridge