By Liana Mocke
The reality that commercial agricultural producers make up only 0.1% – approximately 60 000 – of the country’s total population and are therefore responsible for food production for 99.9% of the population, should make people think differently about commercial farmers.
Dr Danie Odendaal, director of the Veterinary Network, outlined this reality to agricultural students on the last day of Nampo at a morning session in the Syngenta Boerekos Plaaskombuis – hosted by Saai (Southern African Agri Initiative). He spoke about the livestock industry and why it is important to secure the industry’s future, including through the management of livestock diseases.
“There are many more livestock diseases in South Africa than, for example, in Australia and Europe. On the contrary, we have almost every disease in the book, but we are no longer at the forefront of disease research like we were years ago. We have fallen behind,” he warned.
He told the students of Tuks Agriculture, Farmers Lovers and Stellenbosch University that farming is not easy, but it is possible with perseverance and your own drive. “The livestock industry is a solid one, but profit margins are low, while the capital inputs are high.”
The students also listened to Dr Theo de Jager of Saai in the session about why it is so important for Saai’s young farmer initiative to cultivate a generation of leaders, innovators and custodians of the country’s food systems. “We want to tell you today this sector is yours to shape.”
Dewald Olivier, CEO of the Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), encouraged the students to seek solutions and not just rely on government for guidance.
“Government plays an important role in the red meat industry, but who owns it? Stop asking government for solutions and answers. We need to create our own solutions and stop asking government to make decisions for and on behalf of our industry.”
