Broad-based support helps black farmers deliver more

The dark clouds of policy uncertainty and climate change are not the kind that put a smile on the faces of farmers. However, some silver linings are worth highlighting.

While going through my old photos recently, one shot four years ago caught my attention. In it, I was posing with the then vice-chairman of Grain SA, Victor Mongoato, looking over the maize fields on the outskirts of Matatiele in the Eastern Cape. I had been on a visit to a group of thriving black farmers.

Back then, black farmers in the area were producing 6,000 tonnes of maize on roughly 1,200ha and they had just started training with an organised agriculture group.

By the 2016-17 production season, the area planted to maize had increased to 4,000ha and the harvest was 28,000 tonnes, according to data from Matatiele Grainco.

These numbers show that the improvement in production was not only because of an increase in the area planted but also better farming practices as the yields improved from an average of 5 tonnes/ha in the 2014-15 production season to 7 tonnes/ha in 2016-17. This harvest is almost a third of the Eastern Cape’s commercial maize and the yield is higher than the national average. A number of these farmers benefited from the support of organised agriculture groups and private investors such as Grain SA, the Grain Farmer Development Association and the Masisizane Fund.

Grain SA has been actively involved in the province through its farmer development programme. The Masisizane Fund invested R46m in farming areas around Matatiele in 2016. Over the past four years it has invested R100m in the Alfred Nzo and Harry Gwala municipal districts. The Grain Farmer Development Association has also been assisting emerging farmers with finance to rehabilitate and prepare farm land for grain production across the Eastern Cape. The aforementioned improvement in maize yields is a result of the combined effort of these initiatives.

I have previously reported on the emergence of new black agricultural companies in the Eastern Cape, the most notable of which is Matatiele Grainco, which focuses on agricultural mechanisation and the transport of grain across the Eastern Cape and KwaZuluNatal, and Afgrain, which focuses on farmer development and value chain activities in the Eastern Cape.

Such developments are not limited to grain farming. Other entities such as wool growers in communal areas are making great strides, with increasing quality and volumes delivered to the market. There is great work being done in the citrus and other industries.

The common theme is that successful examples are underpinned by support from both organised agriculture and the government. I sincerely hope this type of refreshing initiative will be considered during the transformation and economic development debates that are taking place within the agricultural sector.

We must strive to find ways to enhance these new developments and replicate them in other areas.

The development discussions should strive to support and boost such grassroots efforts.

Of course, the picture is not all rosy. In the Matatiele district farmers face challenges that hinder agricultural production. These include poor infrastructure (roads and silos) across agricultural production zones, as well as the issue of communal land tenure, which limits the ability of farmers to access additional finance.

While most of these challenges can be tackled through policy interventions, organised agriculture can assist by increasing its presence in many parts of the country, especially to impart knowledge and share skills.