Laat landbou selfversorgend wees
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TLU SA sê in ʼn mediavrystelling dat hy weereens met skok kennis geneem het van die antwoord van Thoko Didiza, minister van landbou, grondhervorming en landelike ontwikkeling, dat die regering in hierdie krisistyd van duur insetkostes net hulp aan klein bestaansboere afgewentel het.
Dit raak al hoe meer duidelik dat Suid-Afrika se regering geensins aan voedselsekerheid vir hulle inwoners dink nie. Die volhoubaarheid van die land se landboubedryf kry hoegenaamd nie die aandag wat dit benodig nie.
TLU SA het ʼn versoek aan die regering gerig om landbou te bemagtig om self-voorsienend te wees deur ʼn vergunning om in goeie jare wins belastingvry te kan spaar. Sodoende sal die land se voedselvoorsieners tydens krisistye bepaal wat hulle self kan doen in die lig van ʼn afwesige regering.
TLU SA is van mening dat na die onlangse verklaring deur Didiza rakende aan wie hulp aangewentel word as antwoord op ʼn vraag in die parlement bewys dat die Suid-Afrikaanse regering nie kommersiële landbou se belange op die hart het nie en dat dit nou die tyd is vir landbou om grootliks selfversorgend, waar moontlik, te wees.
“Die grootste dilema wat ons tans ervaar is die regering se beleidsomgewing en hulle afwesigheid tydens rampbestuur en daarom sal daar met nuwe oë gekyk moet word na die pad vorentoe.”
Terwyl die Suid-Afrikaanse regering op hulle pad van selfvernietiging is moet hulle besef dat landbou in die belang van ekonomiese stabiliteit nie durf saam onder gaan nie.
Let agriculture be self-sufficient
TLU SA has released a media statement in which it expressed its shock once more by the response of Thoko Didiza, Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development, stating that the government has channelled assistance to small-scale farmers only during this crisis period of rising input costs.
Agriculture is increasingly realising that South Africa’s government does not consider food security for all its citizens and pays little attention to the sustainability of the country’s agricultural industry.
TLU SA has made a request to the government to empower agriculture to be self-sufficient by granting them the ability to save profits tax-free in good years. In this way, the country’s food providers will be able to determine what they can do for themselves in the absence of government support during times of crisis.
TLU SA believes that, following Didiza’s recent statement regarding who received assistance in response to a parliamentary question, it is evident that the South African government does not prioritise the interests of commercial agriculture. It is now time for agriculture to become largely self-sufficient wherever possible.
“The biggest dilemma we are currently facing is the government’s policy environment and their absence during disaster management, which is why we must reconsider our path forward.”
While the South African government is on their path to self-destruction, they must realise that agriculture cannot afford to go down with them for the sake of economic stability.