To download the soundbite of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Ms Dina Pule, click here: https://iono.fm/e/1508217
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Ms Dina Pule, participated in the Economics Cluster media briefing held at Parliament today. The Chairperson addressed the media on the following topics:
- Legacy report of the 6th Parliament committee
- Food security
- Farmer development and support programmes
Legacy Report of the 6th Parliament committee
The legacy report served as the foundation for the current committee’s work. It highlighted the existence of key master plans, including:
- The Agriculture and Agroprocessing Master Plan
- The Sugar Master Plan
- The Poultry Master Plan
The committee invited the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition to provide a briefing on the status and implementation of these plans, which are critical to the growth and transformation of the agricultural sector. Engagements with the department emphasised the need to accelerate the implementation of these plans.
Food Security and Food Safety
Although food security and safety are interdepartmental responsibilities, the committee is deeply concerned by recent cases of children’s deaths caused by pesticide contamination in food products purchased from spaza shops.
The committee has welcomed a report from the Minister of Agriculture regarding investigations into the source and distribution of these banned pesticides, which are subject to restricted use in South Africa. The minister indicated that the pesticides were likely smuggled across borders from countries where they are not banned. The committee has requested ongoing updates and will continue engaging with the department to strengthen the regulation of pesticide use.
The committee also expressed concern about the state of food insecurity in South Africa, as highlighted in reports from Statistics South Africa. Despite various government interventions, including conditional grants and the Presidential Employment Stimulus Initiative, individual and household food insecurity persists.
The committee welcomes the ongoing review of the interdepartmental National Food and Nutrition Security Implementation Plan, spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture.
Repeat Findings from the Auditor-General
One of the committee’s primary areas of oversight is addressing repeat findings from the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA), which have gone unresolved by the department and some of its public entities.
In the previous financial year, three entities received qualified audit opinions. Even unqualified opinions were accompanied by repeat findings, including non-compliance with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA); deficiencies in internal controls; unreliable performance reporting; challenges with revenue management; and the persistent lack of consequence management regarding irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure – stemming from non-compliance with legislation – remain significant issues of concern.
To ensure these issues are addressed and to strive for clean audits, the Portfolio Committee has recommended that the department and its entities report to the committee quarterly. These reports should detail the actions taken to address the Auditor-General’s findings through the implementation of Audit Improvement Plans, including investigations and disciplinary actions against those responsible for irregular, fruitless, or wasteful expenditure.
The committee is particularly concerned about individuals implicated in financial mismanagement or fraudulent activities who resign to avoid accountability. Such cases have been reported by the department, the Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), and the National Agricultural Marketing Council.
Farmer Development and Support
The committee received a briefing from the Department of Agriculture on its progress in implementing farmer development and support programmes. These initiatives have been streamlined through the recently approved National Policy on Comprehensive Producer Development Support.
As part of this support, the committee engaged with the department, the Land Bank, and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to assess progress on the Blended Finance Scheme, which aims to drive sector transformation and the commercialisation of black producers.
Recently, the committee conducted an oversight visit to two major agricultural entities based in Gauteng: the Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC). The purpose of the visit was to gain insights into their operational environments and to examine challenges identified during previous briefings.
The committee paid particular attention to governance issues and the availability of animal vaccines at OBP, as these concerns have been prominently reported in the media.
Legislative Priorities
The committee also engaged the department regarding the reintroduction of legislation that lapsed at the end of the 6th Parliament. Key bills include:
- The Animal Welfare Bill, which aims to replace outdated legislation, and
- Amendments to the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act and the Perishable Products Export Control Act, both of which have been in development since the 6th Parliament.
The committee expressed concern over the prolonged delays in developing and finalising some of these legislative initiatives, which have been ongoing for more than eight years. The department acknowledged that a lack of capacity and insufficient funding to secure specialised expertise – particularly for the Animal Welfare Bill – were significant contributors to the delays.
To address this, the committee recommended that the department:
- Explore partnerships with academic institutions to access expertise for legislative drafting.
- Advocate for additional funding to support the development of legislation.
- Ensure thorough consultation with stakeholders before finalising and introducing bills in Parliament.
- The committee has requested regular progress updates on the development and consultation processes for these legislative initiative
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