His past two years as minister of agriculture have made him increasingly convinced that government often tries to do too much, too slowly, and in too many areas where it frankly has no business trying to dominate, says John Steenhuisen.
By Francois Williams, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
South African agriculture continues to outperform expectations, despite the many obstacles placed in its path. The sector has learnt how to adapt fast, said Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen at the biennial congress of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) in Gqeberha.
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Steenhuisen identified five areas where stronger cooperation between government and agribusiness could help South African agriculture enter a new phase of growth and value creation – a phase where the conversation is shifting from survival towards expansion and value creation.
1. Biosecurity: The foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks have been a brutal reminder that biosecurity is now central to trade, investment confidence and food security. This is why government has adopted a far more aggressive and risk-based approach to disease management.
Steenhuisen acknowledged that government had made mistakes in its approach to the outbreaks. He compared the process to repairing an aircraft while it is still flying. The crisis had also, he said, introduced him to some of the most dedicated people in the sector.
2. Infrastructure and logistics: South African farmers have remained internationally competitive despite logistical problems that too often work against them. Steenhuisen said Transnet’s initiatives to encourage greater private sector participation present an opportunity for agriculture to take the lead in public–private partnerships. Agriculture understands better than most sectors what delays, congestion and uncertainty actually cost in real economic terms.
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3. Access to finance: Closer cooperation between government, banks, agribusinesses and commodity organisations is needed to make agricultural financing less risky and to develop more innovative funding mechanisms tailored to the sector.
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4. Agricultural extension services and technology: The traditional extension model is no longer sufficient on its own. The scale of agriculture, the pace of technological change and the complexity of modern farming require a very different approach. That is why government is increasingly looking at hybrid digital extension platforms, remote advisory systems, and partnerships that can connect farmers directly to information, markets, finance and technical support.
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5. Biofuels: Steenhuisen said biofuels could become one of the next major growth frontiers for South African agriculture if approached correctly – not as a narrow energy debate, but as an agricultural industrialisation opportunity. Government has already initiated interdepartmental engagements to establish a coordinated pathway forward.
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