SA’s government, not climate, biggest threat to farming sector
Shoddy policies and dodgy dealings will undermine agriculture’s recovery after drought, writes Fanie Brink
The general agricultural outlook at the end of 2016 is much better than a year ago, especially as far as the production of maize and other summer crops are concerned. Grazing was restored in areas that received good rains. However, some regions did not receive any rainfall — but hope remains that adequate rain will fall for the whole country. The improved outlook can be directly attributed to the positive change in the climate. However, indications are that the weather will not be the biggest threat to food security in 2017. The biggest threat, unfortunately, is the government, with its unaffordable and devastating political and economic policies. These are largely responsible for virtually no economic growth over the past year, an eventual inevitable downgrading of the sovereign and credit rating of the country, unprecedented mismanagement of taxpayers’ money, an unsuccessful land reform policy and rampant corruption. The government’s crippling transformation policy for SA, as a de...
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