Tackling SA Farmers' Image Problem

South Africans must join hands and look beyond political differences to take the agriculture sector forward through one of the most challenging times it has ever faced, according to Gerhard Kriel, CEO of Free State Agriculture.

- Gerhard Kriel

There has probably not been a more pivotal moment in the agricultural history of South Africa. Since 1994, farmers have been struggling with vague policy direction in an unfriendly environment both economically and politically. Compared with their counterparts in the US and Europe, South African commercial farmers are not protected by tariffs against global competitors, yet they manage to consistently produce food of the highest quality at cost-effective prices, of which large volumes are exported.

As law-abiding citizens, farmers have the right to a safe and economically viable working environment where they can ply their trade. It is expected that governments should protect their agricultural industries to secure food supply.

All South Africans should recognise the important role that agriculture has played in many ways in the past to pull the country out of recession.

It is also important to recognise the environmental and physical conditions under which food is produced. Climate challenges are not controllable variables, but ensuring a safe and economically viable environment is something that can be controlled. This is where South Africans must join hands and look beyond political differences. South Africa’s health as a country is larger and more important than any political party or ideology, and only true leadership will be helpful here.