Parliament, Tuesday, 24 October 2017 – The Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries today received presentations from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and GrainSa on the state of readiness for the planting season and the impact of the Fall Armyworm on the grain industry.
GrainSa raised a concern about the bio-surveillance of pests on the African continent. It urged South Africa to use the chairmanship of Southern African Development Community (SADC) to increase collaboration with other African countries to use bio-surveillance technologies to monitor the threat of infestation by pests. The Committee noted that GrainSa is vigilant in monitoring pests and has early warning systems in place to detect any future threats. GrainSa has also reported that even though the country has been through a drought it has successfully delivered 18 000 tons of maize, for which it must be commended.
However, the Committee noted that the Department was not adequately prepared to report on the small-scale fishing rights allocation and the implementation of the small-scale fishing policy. Small-scale fishers attended the meeting to hear what is happening. The Committee had previously recommended to the Department to engage with the small-scale fishers and to report to the Committee on the outcomes. However, this has not happened as yet. This matter has been deferred to a later date.
ISSUED BY PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON, MS ROSINA MACHWENE SEMENYA.
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