Madam Speaker, I presume that the hon member is referring here to the agreement reached in Rome at the Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, summit, rather than the matter of offers from the developed countries. So, in broad terms, the agreement reached at the conference of the FAO consists of immediate initiatives for food aid as well as medium- to long-term strategies to improve agricultural production.
Of critical importance is the challenge to transform the structure of the world economy to enable higher levels of production by African farmers and access to their products, especially of the developed world. These are matters that are being discussed at the WTO.
The agreement also calls for increased financial support for the UN food emergency, security programmes and budgetary support directly to countries in need or those countries that have requested such assistance. According to the agreement this should be done through reviewing debt servicing and balance-of-payment support for imports; supporting the FAO-led initiative to improve production and productivity of small farmers through, for example, making available appropriate seeds; supporting people-centred, pro- poor policies for improvement of livelihoods and increased investment in agriculture; and increasing research in agricultural technologies and making such research available to all countries.
The agreement is consistent with the approach of our government and the call that was made by our Deputy President, who represented South Africa at this summit, for more support to the Nepad programme on agriculture, namely the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme; for more development assistance for research and the need to help decrease import bills in developing countries; as well as increased financial assistance to multilateral organisations such as the FAO.
In general, if this agreement is implemented, the right to food will be realised and the goal of feeding the hungry will not be so elusive. However, as we know, whether developed countries will fully respond to this injunction is a matter that we cannot guarantee. As an example, the current delay in the resolution of the impasse in the Doha Round, as we have just discussed, does demonstrate the kind of difficulties we face in trying to promote a fairer and just world trade regime.
It is important to note that the current food crisis does, again as we said earlier, provide opportunities and ideal conditions for farmers throughout the world, particularly African farmers, for increased productivity and production beyond a subsistence level.
The challenge that we face is how to take advantage of that opportunity. And at the same time, we should remember that trade subsidies and import tariffs of developed countries make this difficult.
Yet, the elements of the agreement reached in Rome are in essence not difficult to implement. The challenge is whether the developed countries, which have among themselves more than enough resources and capacity to address the food crisis fully and successfully, would have the political will to work together with the FAO and the developing countries to implement the agreement. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr President, for your response. We also agree that there can't be any guarantee that the developed world would honour the agreement.
In recognition of the challenges that you alluded to, in the Maputo Declaration the African heads of state resolved to allocate about 10% of their national budgets to the departments of agriculture in the various countries so that they can implement sound agricultural and rural development policies as part of solving this problem.
In our own country the budget of the Department of Agriculture is currently less than 1% of the total Budget. So could the President elaborate on the measures the South African government is taking or has taken to ensure that South Africa becomes self-sustainable with regard to food security, over and above the Doha negotiations that we spoke about earlier on and the fact that there's no guarantee that the developed world will meet the agreement? Thank you very much.
Madam Speaker, the hon Mr Smith is correct in what he says about the decisions that were taken by the AU summit when it met in Maputo with regard to this 10% budget allocation. That decision was taken and that decision remains the decision of the AU. However, when the matter was then discussed - this came out of a process that was led by the African Ministers of agriculture, working together with the FAO, etc - and presented to the Ministers of finance on the continent, it brought back the challenges that we face. The Ministers of finance said that, indeed, this was a very good decision. However, it means taking resources from somewhere else, because there was no spare money available somewhere to provide this 10% of the budget.
Now, should we move money from education or water or somewhere else in order to finance agriculture? I'm mentioning this to indicate that the matter is a challenge. Everybody recognises the importance of agriculture and the need to deploy these kinds of resources to agriculture. But where are the resources, particularly given that many African countries depend, in excess of 50% of their budgets, on donor support? And in many instances donor support is targeted: "We are going to give you this money to spend on education." You can't divert it to agriculture. So there is a remaining challenge.
With regard to our situation, yes indeed, the hon member would understand that this 10% issue is an aggregate figure that was given. The sorts of resources that would have to be given from country to country would vary, and indeed I would imagine that in the South African case in all likelihood you would not require that 10%, you would require something lower.
We have - I'm quite certain you know this - already taken a number of decisions together with commercial agriculture really to beef up and make sure that we further develop the agricultural sector to address this matter of food security and self-sufficiency.
So, there is that common agreement strategy between government and the commercial sector which we'll continue to review. Even in our last working group meeting we came back to this matter to ask what it is that we should do. Indeed, if there is enough time - if you were to pose this question on another occasion, hon member - we will give a detailed response as to what we are doing.
Regarding the commitment that we have made as government together with the private sector, we need to do something special about agriculture. We need to increase self-sufficiency in food and in a sense to reverse what has happened, where we have become an importer of food. We have to address the matters about food security and deal with issues about the proper utilisation of land in the former homeland areas - matters that the hon Buthelezi has been raising for some years. We can give a detailed account on that.
Indeed, this would then have to be reflected in the budget allocations to make sure that that programme succeeds. Thanks, Madam Speaker. [Applause.]
Hon Speaker, I thank the hon President for his reply. I would like to pursue this matter a bit further in terms of the global food crisis that we are experiencing.
In the light of this global food crisis, sir, it is a fact that South Africa's food security position has shifted from a net exporter of food to a net importer of food. This is quite alarming to some extent, but it can be rectified.
I would like to know what actions we are taking to rectify this position and increase food production in South Africa, in addition to that which is being offered by the international world. Is the government, for instance, by any chance considering to develop the approximately 1 000 000 ha of high- potential land on our eastern shores, which stretches from the Kei River to Swaziland and at present represents 30% of our arable land but produces only 4% of South Africa's saleable agricultural products?
This land has the potential - and this has been well-researched and documented - to double South Africa's food production in a very short time. I think this is something we would have to look at, Mr President. Does government have plans in this regard?
If you look at Umzimvubu River, which runs to the sea and is the third largest river in the country, there are 300 ha of irrigatable land that lies fallow, waiting to be developed. I know that there are problems, but do we contemplate bringing that side of agriculture into production so that we can have better food security?
That's also the area where the poorest people in South Africa live. So this would automatically bring major development. I'd like to hear your comments on this, Mr President.
I must thank the hon Kraai van Niekerk for providing a bit more detail to what I've just said to hon Smith.
It is precisely what I was saying. We have to deal with the problem that he has raised, of our being a net importer of food. I also said that among other things, we've got to attend to these parts of our country where the land is underutilised. This includes the former homeland areas and the areas that Dr Van Niekerk is talking about. He talked about the Umzimvubu River, and he is quite correct; and there are practical programmes that we have agreed on with regard to this. I must say that the big champion with regard to these same areas and the issue of the waters that flow into the Indian Ocean, has been Deputy Minister Dirk du Toit, championing the same areas.
Indeed, yes, let's have these practical programmes to catch some of this water, precisely for the purpose of irrigation that hon Van Niekerk talks about. Indeed, hon Van Niekerk, that is what I was talking about when I said that the strategic approach that we have agreed on regarding what to do further to improve and expand the size of the agricultural sector, includes exactly these areas and the sorts of interventions that you are talking about. They are very much part of the programme. Thanks, Madam Speaker.
Hon President, in April 2008, an international group of independent multistakeholders, known as the International Association of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development, met in Johannesburg where it held its final intergovernmental plenary. Their main objective was to look at current technology and agricultural policies, in view of their response to food shortages, rural poverty, biodiversity and health.
In the synthesis report the body claimed that genetically modified organisms will not solve the food problems of the world. And this happens to be one of the major avenues through which the developed world offers to assist the developing world. They also claimed that more attention should be given to organic agriculture and to traditional knowledge.
South Africa, as it happens, was not one of the signatories to the final report and the GMO multinationals walked out of the proceedings. One wonders, Mr President, what your feelings are about this report, about the arguments they make and what your response is in this regard. Thank you.
Madam Speaker, I must confess that this is the first time I hear about the report and the meeting. I really would not be in a position to comment on it, because I didn't hear about this or see the report to which the hon member is referring.
It might be useful to look at it, but certainly in this country, we've never argued that the only intervention that is needed in order to address matters of food security is to resort to GMOs. So, I'm quite sure that a conclusion would not come as a surprise to us. Indeed, we've also never said anything negative about organic agriculture and respect for traditional methods.
I would imagine, that as with many other questions, these issues would require a multifaceted response, not a one-tracked one. But I would certainly appreciate having a look at that report. I'll ask the Minister for Agriculture, and if she doesn't have it I'll ask the hon Rabinowitz, so that we can look at those conclusions.
Indeed, we would have to study them, but I really do doubt that, as I was saying with regard to other question, you can't solve any issue just by looking at one track. I would suspect that you need many sources of interventions to address this matter. Thank you.
Receipt of letter from leader of Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe
9. The Leader of the Opposition (DA) asked the President of the Republic:
(1) Whether he has received a letter from the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe dated 13 May 2008; if so,
(2) whether he will make a statement on the contents of the letter; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?