DAFF: Minster must account for job losses

04 August 2014

The DA will write to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Rosina Semenya, requesting that Minster Senzeni Zokwana present the committee with a plan to curb job losses in the Agricultural sector.

According to Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) 73 000 jobs have been lost since the second quarter of 2013. That means that we've lost almost 10% of all agricultural jobs in the last year. This is a massive loss and is extremely damaging to our rural economy. 

This is a far cry from the million jobs the National Development Plan requires in the sector by 2030. 

As a labour intensive industry, with the potential of absorbing tens of thousands of unemployed South Africans, we should be seeing the growth of commercial agricultural and development of the rural economy, instead of haemorrhaging jobs. 

Unfortunately National Government continues to kill investment and jobs in this sector by proposing and implementing extremely damaging policies in the agricultural sector. 

Instead of fighting against commercial farmers, government should rather be working with commercial farmers - black and white - to achieve a more competitive agricultural environment in the country. This will help us to produce more food for consumption and export, and will help to create jobs in rural areas. 

The Minister must, as a matter of extreme urgency, announce a plan to turn around the sector such that the goals of the NDP can be achieved. 

We will continue to fight for a growing agricultural sector that works and that creates jobs. 

Statement issued by Annette Steyn MP, DA Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, August 4 2014

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