Ramaphosa pledges 2.5 million hectares for black farmers
The president says expanding black participation in commercial farming requires access to state-owned land, alongside training, mentorship, technology and affordable finance.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the government will release 2.5 million hectares to black farmers, while calling for wider support for aspiring commercial producers.
Black farmers stand to gain access to 2.5 million hectares of state-owned land under a commitment outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa. He said the government would release the land through its Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy.
BusinessTech’s account of his weekly letter to the nation sets out the commitment. Ramaphosa linked wider black participation in commercial farming to addressing agricultural inequalities and expanding South Africa’s productive base.
For aspiring commercial farmers, Ramaphosa said, access to land must come with practical support: skills, mentorship, training, technology and affordable finance. He argued that developing skilled farmers was necessary to sustain the sector.
Ramaphosa put black farmers’ share of commercial farming output at around 10%. He argued that relying on a relatively small segment of the population to meet the country’s food needs was unsustainable.
The president highlighted existing farmer-development programmes run by agricultural associations as part of efforts to support emerging farmers. He presented broader participation in farming as important for food supply, agricultural growth and jobs.
On funding, Ramaphosa said the Land Bank and Department of Agriculture had established a blended finance instrument. Commercial banks had also joined the programme, he said.
His call extended to other businesses and lenders, asking them to help widen the funding available to agriculture.
“We want to encourage other agribusinesses and commercial banks to join the blended finance programme and to develop more funding instruments to support agriculture,” Ramaphosa said.
