South Africa’s opposition Freedom Front Plus says it is concerned about the black economic empowerment charter for agriculture — dubbed AgriBEE — because it introduces unrealistic time frames with too little emphasis on productivity as well as creating unachievable expectations.
The AgriBEE was released in draft form by Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Thoko Didiza on Monday, setting out tough empowerment targets including 35% black ownership of agriculture-based companies by 2014 as well as 50% of agricultural land — including that held by the state — by this time.
FF+ leader Pieter Mulder, whose party has four members in the National Assembly, said: ”Famine is one of the biggest problems in Africa. In South Africa approximately 35 000 commercial farmers produce sufficient food for 42-million South Africans and for people from the neighbouring states.
”Any proposal that will remove a productive South African farmer from his land, to be replaced by a less productive farmer, brings us one step closer to famine in South Africa. The draft charter for agriculture concentrates only on quotas and percentages of black empowerment and has little to say about productivity.
”The time frames proposed in the charter are totally unrealistic, when the realities of South Africa are taken into account. In the South African context, it is dangerous to use time frames that create unrealistic expectations that cannot be achieved. Revolution and land invasions, as in the case with Zimbabwe, follow when the expectations of people are frustrated.
”Socialistic dreams have in principle resulted in the failure of agriculture in the majority of African countries. This proposed charter of the minister is starting to smell of socialism, with the numerous government interventions in agriculture. It forebodes nothing good for the future.
”The FF+ hopes that meaningful talks can be held before the document is finalised.”
The Democratic Alliance, the official opposition, said on Tuesday that the charter is a ”unilateral prescription of idealistic targets”. — I-Net Bridge