Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has outlined a new vision for the Department of Agriculture (DoA) since its split from other portfolios, which created a single dedicated department.

In an address delivered on the last day of South African Poultry Association’s AVI Africa conference, he said the department’s new vision is focused on seven key pillars: partnerships for growth, a modernised and progressive legal framework, expanded market access, support to farmers, biosecurity oversight, advocacy for the sector and improving food security.

Steenhuisen first and foremost emphasised the importance of partnerships and said the department aimed to be a catalyst for collaboration between government and industry, and would strengthen collaboration with commodity bodies, all in efforts to increase farmers’ profitability, viability and sustainability.

Additionally, he launched a full legislative and regulatory review to update and remove ineffective regulations, vowing that new legislation and regulations would support the adoption of technology and traceability tools.

The DoA is also more focused on moving application processes online and improving efficiencies for approvals and registrations.

“Agriculture should be empowered by policy, technology and innovation, not hindered by it,” Steenhuisen said.

Moreover, the DoA is working hard to leverage trade agreements to unlock new investment destinations for South Africa’s agricultural products and efforts have been made to fast-track export protocols and build a dedicated export register.

Steenhuisen affirmed that the DoA was engaging with other departments such as Trade, Industry and Competition to resolve delays and bottlenecks to expanding market access for producers.

In recognition of farmers’ diverse needs across sectors, from subsistence to commercial operations, he said support from government would be tailored to the specific needs of each type of farmer with a view to improve production and improve local market access.

He added that blended financing operations would be expanded in partnership with banks and development finance institutions, while the DoA would also support emerging farmers with more collateral and leverage financing opportunities, including more insurance mechanisms that cater for small and medium-sized operations.

Steenhuisen also mentioned the intention to use State-owned land for revenue-generating activity and accelerating land titling efforts.

Getting to the biosecurity pillar of the DoA’s new vision, the Minister stressed how biosecurity was everyone’s responsibility, from farm gate level to the final consumer, and the department would work to redevelop a culture of strict biosecurity in South Africa.

Echoing what another official from his department said at AVI Africa on June 3, Steenhuisen confirmed that an urgent, coordinated vaccination rollout plan was under way in the poultry industry against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. The DoA had appointed 50 animal technicians to assist with this vaccination campaign and was building traceability and reporting mechanisms accordingly.

Steenhuisen expressed concern about the disrepair that State-owned animal vaccine manufacturing facility Onderstepoort had fallen into in recent years, which he said threatened South Africa’s ability to produce vaccines.

He assured delegates at the conference that government would work with more pharmaceutical companies in the country to produce vaccines, should the Onderstepoort facility still be incapable of producing the vaccines required to curb disease outbreaks for livestock in the country.

Steenhuisen last year instituted a forensic audit of the operation to determine how money was being spent and why operational failures had occurred.

He also confirmed that the department was establishing a biosecurity council that would bring together officials from the South African Police Service, veterinarian scientists, the agriculture industry and the Border Management Authority.

Moreover, in recognition that agriculture depended on services beyond the DoA, such as roads, ports, water licences and electricity, the department would advocate for these services to improve to ensure the sector could flourish, including at Cabinet level.

Steenhuisen cited the 2024 National Food Security Nutrition Survey as finding that a third of food produced in South Africa was being wasted, while there was rising food insecurity in certain areas.

“The DoA will target the most vulnerable regions using real data and invest in school and community gardens. Efforts will also be made to tackle food waste and support nutrition-sensitive farming systems.”

The Minister said the vision for the sector was grounded in action, not just slogans, and that the department aimed to ensure farmers and agriculture products were safe and sought after locally and globally.

“The vision includes agriculture becoming the backbone of a resilient and inclusive South African economy,” Steenhuisen said, calling on all government departments to collaborate on these effects and building a better future for all South Africans.