SA's poultry industry must be more inclusive and sustainable

In spite of great progress made over the past 30 years in South Africa's poultry value chain, setbacks such as avian influenza and trade restrictions are calling for official intervention

- Dr Sifiso Ntombela

Since the advent of democracy, agriculture has remained one of South Africa's essential pillars of growth, job creation and export earnings. Government recognised early that investment in agriculture yields two to three times more impact on economic growth and poverty reduction than equivalent spending in other sectors. The significance of the sector was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it helped to produce food, especially for rural dwellers, thus contributing to circumventing extreme hardship in the rising fountains of job losses induced by the pandemic lockdowns.

In the early days of democracy, the state instituted policy reform that advanced agricultural exports, and productivity and technology innovations through commodity associations such as the South African Poultry Association (SAPA). These reforms helped to re-engineer the sector for a new era and promoted the inclusion of previously disadvantage individuals (PDIs) while striving to expand export opportunities.

AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT DOUBLED

Together with Land Bank and land reform initiatives, the reformed agricultural policy environment and institutions created an agricultural system that paved the way for a more open, competitive and job-creating sector.