Why farmers are scarce

THERE'S a shortage of commercial farmers worldwide. They’re as scarce as hen’s teeth. Why? Go to Stellenbosch University and see for yourself. Farmers’ children are mostly enrolled to become chartered accountants, engineers, lawyers and doctors. There's no future in farming.

And farming is hard work – the hours are 4am to 6pm, seven days a week.

Added to that are the problems of global warming and increasing drought, as well as rising wages, falling profitability, etc.

Now, due to the risk and uncertainty over our government’s policy, there is even greater reluctance to invest in farming. Very few farmers will invest in new infrastructure.

Banks will be loathe to lend money to farmers lest they are not compensated by government – so long-term loans are out. Existing infrastructure will run down so that when expropriation does come, little will be left, except the land.

And that’s what EFF leader Julius Malema wants, the land.

Meanwhile other countries will continue to open their doors to our farmers as our government takes the land. How ironic. The die is cast. Expect a slide in our food production – in the same way mining went. Expect a food crisis in 10 to 20 years when the state will be forced to import food.

Imports from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the US, will ironically be of food grown by white farmers, very possibly some of the same ones chased away from SA.

That’s what happened in Zimbabwe, where people are now hunting pets in urban areas and wild animals in rural areas to fend off starvation.

From a net exporter of food to a recipient of millions of dollars of UN aid.

From food basket to basket case. Will President Cyril Ramaphosa become the first real Black Panther and SA the first real Wakanda? I doubt it. — Naushad Omar, via e-mail