By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
12 October 2026 – The Republic of South Africa (RSA) president, Cyril Ramaphosa has called for greater transformation of South Africa’s agricultural sector, saying that expanding access to land, finance, skills and technology is essential to creating a new generation of black commercial farmers and strengthening food security.
In his weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa said agriculture had significant potential to drive economic growth, reduce poverty and create jobs, provided government, farmers and the private sector worked together to expand opportunities for emerging farmers.
“Redlands’ success shows that with effective partnerships, a transformed agricultural and agribusiness sector can boost the rural economy and create jobs.
“I am referring to Redlands Farm, a commercial dairy farm in Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape, owned and operated by young black farmers,” he said.
Ramaphosa further said the farm has expanded its operations with support from the Land Bank through its Blended Finance Scheme, which combines government grant funding with loan finance. He added that many emerging farmers remained trapped at subsistence level because they struggled to secure funding for agricultural inputs, infrastructure and additional land.
“A 2025 study by the University of Pretoria found a strong correlation between investment in agriculture and poverty reduction.
“South Africa’s agricultural sector employs approximately 944 000 people, with another 200 000 employed across the broader agricultural value chain,” said Ramaphosa.
He said the country’s agricultural sector has more than doubled since the advent of democracy in 1994, while exports reached a record R270 billion in 2025, making South Africa the world’s 32nd-largest agricultural exporter. Ramaphosa said the country exports a diverse range of products, including table grapes, maize, beef, wine, citrus, sugar and wool.
“The African continent accounts for nearly half of South Africa’s agricultural exports, with the remainder going to the European Union and countries in Asia, the Middle East and the Americas.
“Despite this growth, Ramaphosa said the benefits of agricultural development had not reached all communities equally,” he said.
Ramaphosa said they still have what has been called ‘two agricultures’. He said predominantly white-owned commercial farms account for the bulk of the country’s commercial farming output, while black farmers only account for around 10%.
“Transforming agriculture was necessary not only to address historical inequalities but also to protect the country’s long-term food security.
“Being reliant on the productive capacity of a relatively small segment of the population to meet our country’s food needs is unsustainable,” said Ramaphosa.
He said the population is growing and with it the demand for food. Ramaphosa said South Africa needed to cultivate a new generation of skilled and productive commercial farmers who could expand the country’s agricultural production and sustain the sector into the future.
“This would require aspiring farmers to have access to training, mentorship, modern technologies, practical experience and the resources needed to operate commercially viable farming businesses.
“We have identified access to land as a critical starting point, noting that government was releasing approximately 2.5 million hectares of state-owned land to black farmers through the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy, with title deeds being provided to beneficiaries,” he said.
However, Ramaphosa cautioned that access to land alone was insufficient to guarantee success. He said knowledge of crops, weather, animal disease and the like is gained from practical experience and learning from established farmers.
Ramaphosa welcomed the programmes run by agricultural commodity organisations, including the Citrus Growers’ Association, Grain South Africa, the National Wool Growers’ Association, Potatoes South Africa, Red Meat Industry Services, the Milk Producers’ Organisation and Fruit South Africa. He said these organisations played an important role in developing an inclusive agricultural economy by helping emerging farmers acquire the knowledge and experience needed to succeed.
Ramaphosa also highlighted the importance of affordable, long-term financing for new commercial farmers.
“The Land Bank and the Department of Agriculture introduced the blended finance instrument to help address funding challenges facing farmers.
“Commercial banks have since joined the programme. We want to encourage other agribusinesses and commercial banks to join the blended finance programme and to develop more funding instruments to support agriculture,” said Ramaphosa.
He said government was also working to expand and diversify export markets for South African agricultural products while engaging farmers and agribusinesses on new breeding techniques and advances in agricultural biotechnology. Ramaphosa said partnerships between government, farmers, businesses, lenders, traditional leaders and communities would be essential to building on the sector’s progress.
“We can bring more land under cultivation, create a new generation of black commercial farmers and ensure that we grow enough not only to feed all our people, but to sell to markets across the world,” he said.
