“No more dilly-dallying,” Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson stated in no uncertain terms today, Tuesday 16 November 2010.
Speaking in Cape Town at the the quarterly meeting between the Minister and MECs for Agriculture from all nine provinces, known as MinMec, the Minister read the Riot Act to her officials and provincial MECs.

The major driver for the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector until the end of current term of office, she said, should be job creation.
MinMec is a quarterly meeting to review policy and action and compare notes between the national and provincial government.
Calling for urgent action and creation of a lasting legacy, Minister Joemat-Pettersson lamented that government was in some instances populated by technocrats that were more concerned about regulations than work.

Mostly what government heard from several scientists was what “you cannot” do and they end up doing little or no work, therefore impacting on service delivery. Science has to become more relevant in addressing the core objectives  of government, Minister Joemat-Pettersson stressed.
To fast-track job creation, Minister Joemat-Pettersson read the marching orders to her provincial colleagues as well as officials of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, listing five priorities that must be fulfilled.

Minister Joemat-Pettersson called on government to stop dilly-dallying in the supply of agricultural extension officers. If government cannot produce them, then the time has arrived to consider outsourcing the work to organised agriculture, which has an impeccable record in this regard.
These priorities were:

1. Food security

Government must embark and focus on a Zero Hunger campaign, with the aim of reducing or even eradicating poverty. Government departments must find out how many people go to bed hungry and come up with clear programmes of addressing this hunger.
The sector must mobilise the whole country around the Zero Hunger campaign where every South African must play a role in eradicating hunger.

2. Access to finance

Government and multilateral funding institutions like the Land Bank must rapidly act in making affordable loans available to farmers, with a particular emphasis on small-scale and smallholder farmers. A decision must be urgently taken on the grant-loan split on the available finance and funds must be disbursed to the farmers with long-term payment conditions.

3. Market access

Government must regear itself to seek newer markets for our produce and commodities. The world economy has changed and the EU and US markets can no longer be South Africa’s priorities alone. The time has arrived to look at Brazil, India, China, Russia and Africa.
Having said that, producers should understand that demand must dictate supply, and therefore government cannot take the blame when they produce surplus above demand.

4. Skills development

Government must fast-track the reopening of the colleges of agriculture, that were closed years ago. Although the colleges belonged to the Department of Higher Education, the agricultural sector must seek to influence the curriculum of these colleges to come into line with the required skills.

5. Research and development

Although more funds have been raised for research and development, it is time the research become relevant and quantifiable in a manner that  responds to the country’s developmental needs.
Current research was still focusing on old problems and overlooking the key needs and priorities of the South Africa we live in.
The Minister called for the MinMec to move away from being a lobbying session, but a meeting that answers the questions of job and wealth creation.