Hon Deputy Speaker, access to land for productive economic activities remains a priority for government in addressing unemployment, poverty and deprivation. There is a moral obligation on the side of government to reverse the legacies of dispossession and skewed patterns of land ownership which continue to engender and deepen inequalities in the distribution of wealth in our society.
To accelerate land reform government has prioritised intervention measures that will unlock land for redistribution to support agricultural production, human settlement and industrial development. Cabinet has approved the release of state owned land for the development of priority human settlement projects throughout the country especially in urban and peri urban spaces to deal with the settlement congestion and the rising demand for the development, land and service delivery infrastructure in our metropolitan areas.
More importantly government land released for integrated and sustainable human settlement will have to address the demand for the development of industries, business
support infrastructure in close proximity to where our people live. The process for the identification, profiling and land use assessment of available state owned land has been concluded. The policy setting out beneficiary selection and allocation criteria is currently being reviewed and enhanced to ensure that fairness, equity and transparency in the redistribution process is carried in a fair manner.
This policy will be finalised by the end of November this year. As we have mentioned before in this august House, we are continuing to engage with farmers, business and institutions wishing to donate land to advance land reform objectives. In this regard, government is finalising the land restitution policy to guide the process and transactions involving land donations by companies and non-state institutions. This policy will be concluded also by the end of November. Through the work of the Land Claim Commission we are expediating the finalisation of our outstanding claims on government owned land to ensure that it is available for redistribution.
We have taken a decision that the land which is owned by the government that has been claimed will be released free of charge. The success of our land reform programme depends on the quality and effectiveness of our post settlement support to beneficiaries of land reform. We must ensure that restituted and redistributed land is put under optimal production.
In partnership with traditional leaders, we must ensure that communal land is effectively utilised to expand the country's productive capabilities. As part of our targeted post settlement initiatives, government has prioritised mechanisation support, irrigation infrastructure, extension advisory services, the provision of inputs such as seeds, fertilisers and the facilitation of access to domestic and export markets.
To improve production support and integrated producer support policy has been finalised to streamline the delivery of financially and nonfinancial support across various segments of producers. This model and policy will allow for better co-ordination and alignment of government efforts and investment decisions to grow and
expand our agricultural sector. In this model provision is also made to support farmers with innovative farming technologies and financial instruments to mitigate the risks posed by natural disasters and climate change.
The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has several key interventions both at provincial and national level aimed at supporting farmers and unlocking the growth potential of the agricultural sector. Key among these interventions are the comprehensive agricultural support programme, Ilima/Letsema Support programme which aim to provide post settlement support to targeted beneficiaries of land reform.
In terms of access to market, government is committed to assisting producers especially emerging black farmers to benefit from the existing trade agreements and protocols that South Africa is a signatory to. These include the South African Development Community and the European Union's Economic Partnership Agreements, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Brics as well as
agreements in the United States of America, the Middle East and Asia.
The overarching goal of these initiatives is to ensure adequate utilisation of our land at our disposal and the removal of barriers to entry into agricultural sector by previously disadvantaged communities, especially young and emerging farmers. In this way we will contribute towards the attainment of the National Development Plan goal of ending hunger and poverty by 2030. I thank you, Chair.