AGRICULTURAL CHALLENGES
Black farmers still excluded from mainstream value chain
Pleas by black farmers for more state support have been drowned out by the land reform debate
Black farmers continue to face challenges in accessing markets, finance and technical support to link them with integrated value chains, the Land Bank says. Pleas by black farmers for more state support have been drowned out by the land reform debate and talk of expropriation without compensation. Black farmers are largely not organised and remain excluded from the mainstream agricultural value chain, says Land Bank CEO Tshokolo Nchocho. Current producer support is uncoordinated and not comprehensive. Further challenges include poor production and market infrastructure. The Land Bank, a statutory body with a mandate to support the development of the agricultural sector, has said it will pay special attention to the needs of previously disadvantaged players, including black farmers. The Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, has stated that more than 70% of commercial farms in SA are owned by white farmers. There are about 39,000 white commercial farmers and 5,300 black fa...
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