Steenhuisen outlines ambitious plans for South Africa’s agricultural sector

MINISTER of Agriculture John Steenhuisen on Tuesday said the department's mission was to build a food system that was inclusive, competitive and sustainable.

- YOGASHEN PILLAY

Steenhuisen highlighted the potential of this sector to generate jobs, contribute to economic growth, strengthen exports, and revitalise rural economies.

“On the other side, we confront persistent risks: climate shocks, high input costs, biosecurity failures, land degradation, weak infrastructure, and uneven access to markets and finance,” he said.

Steenhuisen added that there was also a human reality behind the figures—of smallholder farmers locked out of opportunity, of families facing food insecurity, of veterinary professionals overburdened and under-resourced, and of a nation that too often reacts to crisis rather than prepare for it. “This budget is designed to change that trajectory,” he said.