The country’s agricultural sector faces setbacks from disease outbreaks and food insecurity affecting millions of households.
While the year began on a positive note for South Africa’s agriculture, particularly in terms of exports, this is no time for celebration, said Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa chief economist Wandile Sihlobo yesterday.
“We face serious challenges in South Africa’s agriculture, the most pressing one being foot-and-mouth disease (FMD),” he said.
Brazil ban disrupts South Africa’s poultry supply
“Another issue we are monitoring is the impact on poultry supplies resulting from the ban on Brazil’s poultry imports due to the avian influenza outbreak in that country.”
In February, Statistics South Africa noted that the General Household Survey in 2019, 2022 and 2023 indicated households in South Africa continue to experience challenges related to both moderate to severe and severe food insecurity, despite the country being generally food secure at the national level.
The report suggests in 2023, about 19.7% (roughly 3.7 million households) experienced moderate to severe food insecurity while about 8% (1.5 million households) experienced severe food insecurity.
Sihlobo said there are ways of addressing the concerns of poultry supplies by restricting imports from affected regions, rather than the whole country, a step that Namibia has taken.
Call for more targeted import restrictions and better data
“It is also in this perspective that I worry about the constant news flow that suggests South Africa will face a food crisis if we temporarily limit Brazil’s poultry imports,” he said.
“It would have been much more helpful to provide regulators with valuable insights and data on imports, as well as potential opportunities for the future so that they could make informed decisions.”
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Sihlobo said a ban on imports was costly and may have implications for jobs in the importing businesses.
“However, this is not a permanent decision and regulators continually assess issues, taking into account the impact of their decisions on the value chain,” he said.
“What we should help them with is valuable data to aid their choices. This is not the time for the economics of Chicken Little. We need poultry imports. South Africa imports roughly 20% of its annual poultry consumption and Brazil is the major supplier – that is clear.
“However, the path now lies in navigating the issue delicately. We must also be extra cautious when outbreaks occur and allow scientists the space to make informed judgments.”
Farmers raise alarm over FMD impact and vaccination costs
Free state cattle farmer Tewie Wessels said he was very unhappy about the outbreak of FMD. “What happens at the end of the day, is the farmer and the consumer will come short and take the knock,” said Wessels.
A farmer, who agreed to speak anonymously, said there was more to FMD than meets the eye.
The farmer said it didn’t affect a small-scale farmer with 10 cattle, but large-scale farmers with 1 000 cattle.
“It’s a money-making scheme because the only solution at the end of the day is to vaccinate all our cattle.”
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