He may not have attracted too many headlines for it, but South Africa's new Minister of Agriculture has begun engaging directly with the South African fresh produce industry, and has declared his department’s intent to support and grow one of the country’s essential food security pillars...

There have been many political waves breaking around South Africa’s new Government of National Unity (GNU), with local media honing in on the interactions between the different political parties, and leaders. John Steenhuisen, South Africa’s new Minister of Agriculture, has attracted particular attention in his establishment of the team supporting his new office.

Thus far, little focus has been placed on his strategic approach to this key ministry - but Steenhuisen has in fact already given important indications as to how he intends to operate in the years ahead. Most notably, Minister Steenhuisen attended the RSA Group Stakeholder Dinner last month, where he gave a speech and interacted with leading fresh produce industry figures, including representatives from key agri-representative bodies.

‘Direct engagement with government is crucial to the positive future of the fresh produce industry,’ says Jaco Oosthuizen, CEO of RSA Group, one of South Africa's leading fresh produce sales organisations. ‘It was very important for South African fresh produce stakeholders to hear the minister's views on the industry's future and to get a sense of his priorities. All involved appreciated his presence at the event and his willingness to engage.

In his speech, Minister Steenhuisen stated that he viewed agriculture as the ‘engine room of economic growth, job creation and greater prosperity for South Africa’. He highlighted that while the country’s agriculture sector is largely unsubsidised – unlike most global economies – it nonetheless performs with strength in terms of commercial viability and food security.

He then laid out his department’s future priorities, which include active partnerships between government and agri stakeholders, creating an enabling legislative and regulatory framework and improving biosecurity and phytosanitary protocols to enable better access to new markets. He also announced an intent for his department to be highly responsive to industry stakeholders via an open-door communication policy, as well as a focus on improving crucial surrounding infrastructure supporting agriculture value chains.

‘The South African fresh produce industry is the backbone of national food security and performs exceptionally well in the face of significant headwinds,’ says Oosthuizen. ‘The hope from all stakeholders is that positive, direct engagement with government will allow our industry to address its challenges to open up more development opportunities for new entrants. With the right kind of delivery from government, and with effective government/industry partnerships in place, there is no doubt we have the ability to empower many more emerging farmers, while buttressing the strength of the crucial informal sector and offering attractive investment opportunities.’

Minister Steenhuisen also addressed his department’s intent to implement the South African Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan, while taking care to amend aspects of the plan that clearly need attention. He announced ‘sustainability, viability and profitability’ as key watchwords for the Agriculture Department moving forward, and emphasised a long-term focus on opening up new international markets and gaining full value from global, Southern African and African trade agreements. 

‘Interactions such as these can be a crucial stepping stone that allows government and the industry to work together coherently,’ concludes Oosthuizen. ‘If we can follow up the positive intent with clear, coordinated actions, the South African fresh produce industry has enormous potential to deliver even more economic growth and employment opportunities to the country.’

Whatsapp