AGRICULTURAL HOLDINGS
Land ceilings may mean smaller workforces, says AgriSA
Land ceilings may have a negative effect on employment in the agriculture sector, according to agricultural industry association AgriSA. The Regulation of Agricultural Land Holdings Bill was released for public comment earlier in 2017. The proposed law suggests that owners of "excess" land may have to relinquish it for redistribution, a process that may end in expropriation. It also makes provision for the establishment of a land commission to be appointed by the rural development and land reform minister. The commission will establish a register of public and private agricultural land ownership. Controversially, the bill states: "No foreign person shall, from the date of the commencement of this act, acquire ownership of agricultural land." The land commission provided for in the bill will enforce disclosure of ownership of land and landed property. It has been suggested that an ownership cap of 12,000ha may be imposed on foreigners. Requier Wait, the head of economics and trade at...
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