AgriSA sets five mandates, demands measurable outcomes

AgriSA has adopted five formal mandates at its annual congress, defining in institutional terms who should do what in South African agriculture and signalling that its engagement with government and industry will now be judged against measurable outcomes rather than policy statements alone.

The congress, held at the Irene Country Hotel in Pretoria, Gauteng, on 14 October under the theme “The Path is Clear”, endorsed mandates covering land and development, natural resources, labour, rural safety, and economics and trade. The organisation’s board had adopted them on 30 July, after consultations with members and its Centres of Excellence between May and July. They now form the framework for AgriSA’s dealings with government and industry partners.

Accountability for coordination emerged as a central theme. President Willem de Chavonnes Vrugt told delegates that stronger cooperation between government, commodity organisations, private businesses and farmers was essential to turning policy priorities into practical improvements. “You can farm individually, but you cannot build agriculture individually,” he said. The question, in his view, was no longer simply what government should do, but which institutions were best positioned to perform specific functions and how their efforts could be coordinated. Fragmented efforts between institutions, he warned, could undermine progress even where individual organisations had the necessary expertise and resources.

CEO Johann Kotzé framed the organisation’s own responsibility in similar terms. It extended, he said, beyond identifying policy priorities to bringing evidence to decision-makers, building partnerships, and staying involved until tangible outcomes were achieved. He named farm profitability, investment, employment growth, access to new export markets and improved rural safety as the measures against which progress should be assessed.

The mandate on land and development received particular attention. AgriSA called for transformation to be measured less through land transfers and more through the establishment of commercially sustainable farming enterprises. Eben du Plessis, vice-chairperson of the Land and Development Centre of Excellence, noted that South Africa has approximately 122,3 million hectares of land, of which only 15,9 million hectares, roughly 13%, has high or moderate arable potential. Fewer than two million hectares are classified as high-potential arable land.

The organisation proposed a special-purpose vehicle to accelerate the release of approximately 2,5 million hectares of state-owned land and to coordinate farmer support. Its further proposals included expanding the Land Bank’s Blended Finance Scheme, credible beneficiary selection, secure property rights and stronger post-settlement support. Du Plessis also highlighted the R2,8 billion contributed by commodity organisations over five years, calling for their farmer-support efforts to be better aligned and expanded.

Water governance featured prominently in the natural resources mandate. Laubscher Coetsee, chairperson of the Natural Resources Centre of Excellence, said agriculture accounts for approximately 60% of South Africa’s water use, and he estimated that about 30% of water conveyed through irrigation systems is lost before reaching productive use. AgriSA warned that more frequent droughts, higher temperatures and deteriorating water infrastructure could add pressure on production. It called for better-managed catchment agencies, investment in infrastructure, a predictable water-licensing system and improved access to climate-adaptation finance, alongside protection of productive agricultural land and action on soil erosion, invasive species and illegal mining.

On labour, Johan Wege, chairperson of the Labour Centre of Excellence, pointed to the sector’s role in rural employment, with approximately 945 000 people directly employed in the second quarter of 2026, roughly one in every 18 employed South Africans. AgriSA proposed linking annual national minimum wage increases to the consumer price index, introducing a dedicated agricultural work visa and accelerating reform of the country’s 11 agricultural colleges. Wege also drew attention to the approximately R660 million flowing annually to the Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority through skills development levies, urging closer alignment between skills programmes and farm-level needs, along with workable approaches to farmworker housing, healthcare and transport.

By contrast, the economics and trade mandate paired strong export performance with infrastructure shortcomings. Jannie Strydom, chairperson of the centre, noted that agricultural exports reached a record US$15,1 billion, around R270 billion, in 2025, with more than 55% of production exported. Yet AgriSA estimates that port inefficiencies cost approximately R4,2 billion during the 2025/26 season. Of the country’s 750 000km road network, 79% is gravel and an estimated 40% to 60% is in poor to very poor condition. The organisation called for accelerated freight rail reform, reduced congestion at the Durban and Cape Town ports, and a framework for prioritising rural roads, as well as market diversification into Asia, the Middle East and Africa, stronger biosecurity, fewer tariff and non-tariff barriers, expanded rural broadband, and greater certainty on electricity pricing, diesel rebates and taxation.

The congress set out priorities and intended outcomes. What it did not provide were detailed implementation deadlines, clearly assigned responsibilities or funding commitments for every proposed intervention. Questions therefore remain about how progress will be monitored, who will be accountable for delivery, and when farmers can expect practical improvements on the ground.