Technology hides crisis in farming sector, says expert

AGRICULTURAL productivity increases have masked the sharp decline in the number of farmers in SA and that the sector is in a "crisis", according to Agricultural Research Council (ARC) CEO Shadrack Moephuli.

"The major reason for us not realising that these farmers are going out of business, while we are still getting food on our tables, is technology," he said last week.

Last year, Deputy Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Pieter Mulder said the number of commercial farmers had declined from 60000 in 1996 to less than 40000 today.

"At the same time, you’ve had population growth," Dr Moephuli said. Technology had caused an increase in productivity, which was why there was still security of food supply. In the maize industry, for example, "10-15 years ago the yield per rain-fed hectare was four tons. Now it is about eight to 10 tons per hectare" because of the maize cultivars being grown.

Some of those crop-cultivar innovations were thanks to the research council, he said.

The council, which answers to both the departments of agriculture and science and technology, is the largest agricultural research institute in Africa.

However, "the agricultural sector is in a state of crisis", Dr Moephuli said. "The children of the current crop of commercial farmers are exiting the sector…. We need to find incentives for people to become interested in being farmers and growing food for the rest of us."

Agricultural Business Chamber CEO John Purchase yesterday disagreed that the sector was in crisis. "There are concerns in the industry for it to remain competitive," he said, citing agro-logistics, technology, energy security, water quality and attracting skills to the sector as concerns.

"What’s important is that productivity has improved considerably. Average yield per hectare has more than doubled in the last 15 years, primarily because of technology."

However, while the council played a major role in South African agriculture in the past, farmers were becoming increasingly dependent on international sources for technology, Dr Purchase said.

Dr Moephuli defended the council’s low research targets, saying "that has to do with historical underinvestment in the ARC. After 20 years of giving a parliamentary grant that is suboptimal, it starts to wear on the institution."

The council received total revenue of R870m in 2010-11, with a parliamentary grant responsible for R590m and the rest coming from external and "other" income. The majority of this goes towards salaries.

There is an additional tension, which is that the council is split between two ministries.

Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor said last year that science councils, including the research council, should be controlled by her department. This would ensure they were properly run and appropriately funded, she said.

Ms Pandor has commissioned a ministerial review of science councils and institutions, to gauge whether they should fall under the department or their line ministries. The review is expected to be published later this year.

Source: www.businessday.co.za

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