Durban - Arguably the world’s biggest sugar cane farmer, Charl Senekal, of Pongola, believes the government’s plan to reduce land ownership in South Africa is “absolutely ridiculous”.
Senekal was referring to comments made by President Jacob Zuma during his State of the Nation address this week in which he proposed a new law that would restrict land ownership to 12 000 hectares. “If that law is passed South Africa will have a food crisis,” he said.
Senekal said 100 farmers in the country produced 70 percent of our food. If they were forced to cut the size of their farms their production could be halved.
Senekal predicted staple food items including sugar cane, wheat, maize and soya would have to be imported. He also said he believed the announcement was a ploy to get farmers around the table to negotiate land redistribution issues.
“I really don’t think the president has been advised properly. If they want to distribute land to the people why don’t they buy the 1 500 farms presently up for sale and use those?” he suggested.
Hendrik Botha, chairman of the Red Meat Producers and National Wool Growers’ Association of East Griqualand, said the proposal to limit land could not work because the needs of farmers in different sectors differed widely. Botha said while that amount of land might allow some sheep farmers to survive, it would spell ruin for others.
“In the Karoo the average farm is 15 000ha and many are far bigger.”
Sunday Tribune