By Maile Matsimela
Plans in agriculture have been formulated for thirty years, but very few – if any – ever come to fruition. Wandile Sihlobo, Agbiz’s chief economist, and Prof. Johann Kirsten, director of the Bureau for Economic Research, attribute the blame for this equally to commodity and agricultural associations as well as the government in their new book, The Uncomfortable Truth about South Africa’s Agriculture.
The book was officially released on the evening of Wednesday, 26 March, in Stellenbosch. According to Wandile, by confronting several “uncomfortable truths” about agriculture, this sector has the potential to significantly contribute to economic growth by addressing three central challenges facing South Africa: unemployment, poverty, and low growth, particularly in rural areas.
