Agriculture
(a) To what extent has the Western Cape agricultural sector been able to contribute to the job-creation targets set in the National Development Plan, (b) how does the province compare with the other provinces in this regard, (c)(i) to what extent is the country on track to achieve these targets and (ii) what are currently the most important variables that influence the progress being made with achieving the job-creation targets, (d) to what extent can the variables in (c) be influenced by (i) national or provincial policies and (ii) the performance of public entities and (e) what can the Province do to address issues limiting job creation in the agricultural sector?
[a] By comparing the Statistics SA 2nd Quarter Labour Force statistics of 2012 and 2022, the number of employees in the primary Agricultural Sector of the Western Cape Province increased from 117 005 to 187 992. This is a growth of 70 987 [60,7%] over this decade.
[b] Over the same period the change in Primary Agricultural Employment in the other provinces of South Africa can be summarised as follows:
|
Change |
% Change |
|
|
Eastern Cape |
4 863 |
7% |
|
Northern Cape |
2 490 |
5% |
|
Free State |
3 296 |
4% |
|
KwaZulu-Natal |
9 440 |
8% |
|
North West |
5 141 |
7% |
|
Gauteng |
5 583 |
10% |
|
Mpumalanga |
5 040 |
6% |
|
Limpopo |
4 381 |
4% |
[c] [i] The National Development Plan set a target of 1 million jobs to be created by the South African Agricultural Sector by 2030. Although the Agricultural Sector shows growth, it will probably not be achieved on time.
[ii] Growth in the Agricultural Sector is the single most important variable to ensure increases in agricultural employment.
[d] [i] At the national level the agreement reached by the Agriculture and Agro Processing Master Plan [AAMP] provides a solid foundation for growth in the Agricultural Sector. The AAMP does address matters such as investment confidence, rural safety, biosecurity, infrastructure, under-utilized land and the international interface which will lead to growth in the Sector. At a provincial level the single most limiting factor for agricultural growth is the shortage of water. For this reason interventions such as raising the wall of the Clanwilliam Dam and raising the wall of the inlet canal to the Brandvlei Dam are of the utmost importance.
[ii] To this end public entities must improve the international competitiveness of the Agricultural Sector. This can be done through efficiency gains [e.g. research leading to new technologies] by the Agricultural Research Council [ARC].
[e] As indicated above, job creation can only be achieved through an increase in agricultural production at primary and secondary level. For production to grow the volume and value of products trade on the domestic and international markets need to increase, value chains must function effectively [e.g. Port of Cape Town, rail and road transport], limiting constraints removed [e.g. either more water resources or increases in water-use efficiency] and the environment for investment in rural areas improved.
