
=====================================================================
Eastern Cape Red Meat Producers Organisation Annual General Meeting
=====================================================================

Speeches and Media Releases
 Agriculture

[         w

 EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
 SPEECH BY MEC MAMASE AT THE EASTERN CAPE RED MEAT PRODUCERS ORGANISATION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
 18 JULY 2000



Chairperson,
 Distinguished Guests,
 Farmers of our Province,
 Ladies and Gentlemen.

I greet you all in the name of peace, social justice, equity and economic growth for all the farmers of the province of the Eastern Cape.

It is indeed a great honour and privilege for me to have been invited to this rather important meeting. Meetings of this nature always give 
us an invaluable opportunity to touch base and interface with our farmers. This is also where we get time to share with you our policies 
and programmes. Yes, this is a forum for farmers to exercise their lobbying and advocacy strategies, thereby participating in shaping 
future policy directions. This is the reason why I gladly accepted your invitation. I wanted to provide you with that opportunity.

Agriculture plays a key role in the development of South Africa as a nation. The government believes that profitable and internationally 
competitive agricultural sector will continue to play a key part in South Africas economic and social well being.

Ladies and gentlemen, I, without wasting any of your time, intend to share with you the following developments which have taken place in 
our department;

* strategic policy objectives;
* strategic framework for policy implementation;
* Integrated livestock and crop production strategy;
* Eastern Cape Meat production and marketing strategy;
* Land redistribution/reform and
* Land disposal framework

1.Policy objectives

The department has set clear strategic objectives aimed at unlocking the Agricultural potential in the province of the Eastern Cape. These 
strategic objectives are as follows:

* to promote sustainable utilisation of natural resources;
* to encourage increased food and fibre production, thus contributing towards food security;
* to stimulate increased economic activity from agriculture;
* to provide enabling legislation

The key to unlocking the agricultural potential is the serious identification of optimal agricultural enterprises based on the natural 
resources of each district and farming unit. This paradigm shift is supported by the department of agriculture and land affairs through 
accurate determination of the agricultural potential within the province, coupled to effective policy development on land use, zoning and 
the planning of farm systems and farming enterprises. The Geographic Information System (GIS) using data collected from many sectors is the 
primary tool used for identifying the natural resources and indicating areas of potential for agricultural production. Through the 
utilisation of this GIS information, we now know that, the meat industry alone contributes more than 50% of the gross income derived from 
the agricultural sector in the province. The Eastern Cape province, without any doubt has a huge potential for livestock production. Here 
is some statistics from the GIS information;

* 56% of goat meat in the country is from the Eastern Cape;
* we produce 12 000 tons of beef /annum;
* we produce 8000 tons of mutton /annum;
* we slaughter 76 000 pigs /annum in the province;
* Game farming is also proving to be exceptionally lucrative and is a very important avenue to be seriously considered particularly by the 
emerging meat producers.

2.Strategic Framework for policy implementation.

The strategic framework for policy implementation is aimed at guiding the activities and investments of the department of agriculture and 
land affairs, and is derived from the constitutional mandate delegated to provinces for the oversight and development of agriculture within 
the province. Furthermore, the provincial vision and mission and the resultant Provincial Growth and Development Policy require a focus for 
the department on the improvement of the quality of life for the people of the Eastern Cape through job creation, meeting basic needs, 
sustainable utilisation of natural resources and integrated economic development of rural areas.

The Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs has synthesised all these mandates and responsibilities, recognising the restrictions of 
current budget realities into a strategic framework which comprises the following elements;

* Land care
* Agricultural Advice and Technology development;
* Agricultural and Rural Development;
* Agricultural Regulation and legislation;
* Human resource management and
* Financial Support for farmers.

3.Integrated Livestock and Crop production strategy

This is community Land Care Project aimed at developing demonstration and training units in communities i.e. in their backyard real life 
situations, assuring financial stability, determining needs and potential of communities and the area through socio-economic studies and 
establishing a link between research and application of technologies in the communities. This is where we, in the province are witnessing 
the concept of Harnessing institutional Synergies at work with the farmer at the Centre stage.

The primary participating institutions are;

* National Wool Growers Association (NWGA)
* Agricultural Research Council (ARC);
* Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture;
* National Emergent Red Meat Producers Organisation (NERPO)
* Farmers/Communities at local level.

This project has recently won an Impumelelo Award.

4. The Eastern Cape Meat Production and Marketing Strategy.

Region   Farm Name       Extent (ha)
Central  Frankfort Hill Outspan 569      267,6
        Remainder of Farm South Biggar No1220    207,5
East Griqualand  Porrtion 4 of Drumleary         407,1
Eastern Region   Mount Pleasent Farm     212,6
Western  Remainder of portion 4 of Bankkop       128
        Portion 1 of farm 179    360

This strategy was presented to you in your annual national congress that was held in Cradock. To briefly update this meeting, I will 
present the feedlot farms that have been identified by our department as follows:

Here are the holding farms identified.

5.Land Reform/Redistribution

(A)The objectives of the Land Redistribution and development programme are;

* to increase access to agricultural land by formerly disadvantaged people;
* to facilitate transfer of ownership of 3,5 million hectares in five years and about 30% of the countrys agricultural land over the life 
of the programme;
* to improve GDP per capita of the rural poor;
* to eliminate past racial discrimination in ownership of farm land.

(B) Implications for the programme of Restitution and Upgrading of the Security

The programme also has implications for the components supporting restitution and enhanced security of tenure. Applicants for restitution 
could choose to receive land according to their claims, or use the programme which would allow them to establish farming. Communities 
holding land under traditional tenure arrangements may wish to upgrade the tenure of their holdings.

(C) Key implications for government

The proposed programme is a revision and modification of the existing programme. It has sufficient legal foundation to permit immediate 
implementation

Capital budget to finance grants will be allocated to provincial DLA and be held in an account monitored only by the provincial grants 
committee. Both DLA and DALA should share responsibilities under the programme. Local government and municipalities be requested to provide 
an audit of agricultural small holdings within their boundaries.

6.Agricultural Trade and Development Support Strategy

In line with the policy as discussed, government deregulated the marketing of agricultural products and became a signatory of the Agreement 
on Agriculture of the World Trade Organisation. Essentially, this means:

* agricultural production in the country will be guided by the decisions of producers based on their interpretation of market indicators 
(prices).
* government will not use regulations or legislation to influence the marketing of products. Price fixing, fixed channel marketing , 
exclusion of products and other non-tariff measures are specifically excluded;
* Produce from local producers cannot be given preferential treatment over imported products and will be afforded the same status in the 
domestic market.
* the government has a prerogative to charge import duties or tariffs on products coming from outside the country according to accepted 
practice and in line with its WTO obligations. Anti-dumping and countervailing measures can also be instituted against those found to be 
engaged in unfair trading practices.
* the government is able to undertake market development and assist producers in terms of specified domestic support measures as well as 
provisions in the agreement catering to the needs of developing countries.

While all the actions required to liberalise the market and to become part of the global trade of agricultural products have been 
concluded, much still needs to be done to enable the South African producer to take full advantage of the opportunities this policy shift 
offers.

There is need to reorientate the producers and all those who support agricultural development.

I thank you all.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Home | About the Eastern Cape | Documents
 Economy | Structures | International Relations | Links
 Premier's Office | Speeches & Media Releases
 Top of Page

---------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Eastern Cape

Premier's Office

Structures

Documents

Speeches & Media Releases

International Relations

Economy

Links


