By Nico van Burick
The Department of Agriculture and organised agriculture groups will establish a committee to ensure a more accurate assessment of agricultural conditions.
The plans for the committee, provisionally known as the Agricultural Conditions Committee, stem from a recent finding by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) that the GDP figures for agriculture in the third quarter of 2024 were considerably better than the 28.8% given by Statistics SA (SSA).
Wandile Sihlobo from Agbiz says the committee will be established this month, and Agri SA, Agbiz, and BFAP will be among its members.
He earlier told News24 that the committee’s primary purpose, which will be housed in the Department of Agriculture and include agricultural organisations and academics, will be to ensure reliable data on agricultural conditions and insights into farmers’ operational circumstances.
“This will help improve the general public and policymakers’ understanding of the sector’s conditions.”
In December, Agri SA and Agbiz asked BFAP to review SSA’s data, which shows that the agricultural sector contracted by 15.5% in the first nine months of the year and by 28.8% in the third quarter – the most since 1970. SSA found this led to a 0.3% contraction in the overall economy compared to the previous quarter.
According to BFAP’s review, the contraction in the first nine months was between 5% and 6%, not 15.5% as calculated by SSA.
BFAP believes SSA should consider adjusting agriculture’s gross domestic product (GDP) upward by R10.8 billion to account for inflation.
Johann Kotzé, CEO of Agri SA, said the purpose of the planned committee is to get input from industry members to verify statistical findings.
“The experience of farmers at ground level must align with what is presented statistically. We must remember that what is experienced at farm level and in communities is sometimes far removed from officials in Pretoria.”
He says the accuracy of agricultural GDP data is essential for monetary policy and measuring agriculture’s health and food security. “What stands out is organised agriculture and the Department of Agriculture’s limited ability to provide timely, accurate, and geographic data about agriculture and food systems. Our industry knowledge is fragmented, which creates room for dangerous and subjective opinions that sometimes lead to emotional decision-making.”
He says establishing the committee is an essential first step in Agri SA’s effort to act more proactively in consultation with the Department of Agriculture.
