Junk status is the price of transformation and therefore TLU SA is extremely disappointed that there is anyone at all who is prepared to sign off on the government’s master plan for agriculture – the AAMP.
Thursday is the budget debate for agriculture and Thoko Didiza, Minister of Agriculture, wants to use the opportunity to sign off on the AAMP.
“TLU SA is disillusioned with the whole process that took place around the AAMP’s development process. Certain undertakings have been given regarding inputs that will be considered. For this reason, TLU SA already took a strong stance on 21 May 2021 in a letter consisting of 10 pages that was submitted. Assurance was given that it would be dealt with, but it never happened,” said Mr Bennie van Zyl, TLU SA General Manager.
“This is now at the end of the process, and we are told that if there are any further problems, we must take it up with the Minister, because they are now finished with the process. This while we have pointed out the danger of transformation, because it is the problem we have despite some aspects within the plan that we can go along with, but they make it subject to transformation and it is a very big and clear warning for agriculture’s way forward.”
Agriculture is an economic process and at the end of the day, the economic market power principle must be the determining factor for sustainability.
“The result of transformation is clearly visible across all facets of South Africa. The price of transformation is there for all to see. This ANC policy from the outset encompasses all aspects such as cadre deployment, BEE and with it all the corruption we see. We are currently living with a failing economy that is not functioning, there is no more quality training in schools, the health services are down the drain, and we are not even talking about the security services or the collapse of our country’s infrastructure. Looting and sabotage are in full swing.”
According to Mr Van Zyl it is very concerning that the role players who are now signing off on the plan are not necessarily primary farmers.
“We are convinced that if we as an organisation sign off on the AAMP, we are abandoning every commercial farmer in the country – black and white – because we are putting them under pressure with the wrong kind of policy development that will inevitably result from this, because the ANC makes everything ideological instead of economically… with this we have a very big problem.
“TLU SA states unequivocally that the document must not be signed. We were prepared to work together to make sure we came up with an economically driven agricultural plan in the interests of all the role players, but unfortunately it seems as if the ANC and some of the other role players have chosen differently.”
