Black producers account for only around 10% of commercial farming output, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said<\/p>\n
South Africa is releasing about 2.5 million hectares of state-owned land to black farmers and providing title deeds to expand their role in commercial agriculture, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said.
\nIn his weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa said expanding access to land, financing and agricultural training was essential to transforming the sector, creating jobs and strengthening South Africa\u2019s food security.
\n\u201dThe first step in building a new generation of South African farmers is providing them with titled access to land,\u201d he said. Through the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy, the government is releasing the land in various parts of the country to black farmers, Ramaphosa added.
\nThe president stressed, however, that access to land needed to be accompanied by funding, skills development, mentorship and technology to help emerging farmers establish commercially successful businesses.\u00a0\u201dFar too often, emerging farmers are kept trapped at subsistence level because they cannot get the financing they need for farming inputs, infrastructure and additional land,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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Ramaphosa cited Redlands Farm, a commercial dairy farm in Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape owned and run by young black farmers, as an example of how financial support could help farmers expand their operations.\u00a0\u201cRedlands\u2019 success shows that with effective partnerships, a transformed agricultural and agribusiness sector can boost the rural economy and create jobs.\u201d
\nThe farm has grown its operations with assistance from the Land Bank and is a beneficiary of its Blended Finance Scheme, which combines government grant funding with loan finance. The president\u00a0encouraged more lenders and agribusinesses to participate and develop additional funding instruments for farmers.<\/p>\n
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Ramaphosa noted that South Africa\u2019s agricultural sector had more than doubled since 1994, with record exports of R270 billion in 2025, making the country the world\u2019s 32nd-largest agricultural exporter. The country exports products including table grapes, maize, beef, wine, citrus, sugar and wool. Nearly half of its agricultural exports go to other African countries, while the remainder reaches markets in the European Union, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas.
\nHowever, the sector\u2019s growth had not benefited all communities equally.\u00a0\u201dWe still have what has been called \u2018two agricultures\u2019. Predominantly white-owned commercial farms account for the bulk of the country\u2019s commercial farming output, while black farmers only account for around 10%,\u201d\u00a0Ramaphosa said.
\nThe president warned that relying on a relatively small segment of the population to meet the country\u2019s food needs was unsustainable as the population grew and demand for food increased. Ramaphosa added that transformation was necessary both to address historical inequalities and to ensure the country could meet future food demand.
\nAgriculture employs around 944,000 people, with a further 200,000 working across the broader value chain. The president cited a 2025 University of Pretoria study that found a strong correlation between investment in agriculture and poverty reduction. According to him,\u00a0land ownership alone would not guarantee success, as farmers also needed practical experience and knowledge of crops, weather conditions and animal diseases.<\/p>\n
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Pamaphosa highlighted the work of commodity organisations, including the Citrus Growers\u2019 Association, Grain South Africa, the National Wool Growers\u2019 Association, Potatoes South Africa, Red Meat Industry Services, the Milk Producers\u2019 Organisation and Fruit South Africa, in supporting a more inclusive agricultural economy.\u00a0\u201dAs government, we are on a concerted drive to expand and diversify export markets for our agricultural products. We are engaging with agribusinesses and farmers around issues such as new breeding techniques and advances in agricultural biotechnology,\u201d said Ramaphosa.\u00a0
\nStronger partnerships between government, farmers, businesses, lenders, traditional leaders and communities would help grow the sector and create jobs.\u00a0\u201dWe can bring more land under cultivation, create a new generation of black commercial farmers and ensure that we grow enough not only to feed all our people, but to sell to markets across the world,\u201d\u00a0the president concluded.
\nFirst published by IOL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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