District Agriculture's Future is Rosy - Report

AGRICULTURE in the Greater Sekhukhune district has a latent potential, according to the Sekhukhune 2025 Growth and Development Strategy report.

The research, which intends to reshape the district’s economy, indicates that the potential lies in the development of bio-fuels, dry land farming, livestock farming, feed manufacturing, feedlots, abbatoirs, commercial and horticulture cluster development.

The report calls for farmer support interventions for the district’s agricultural potential to be realised.

Agriculture is, according the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, one of the pillars of the district’s economy amongst mining and tourism.
There are 70% subsistence farmers, in the district with a population classified as being 95% rural.

However, the report indicates that general lack of water, especially for secondary purposes such as irrigation, and unpredictable rainfall was a concern that made cultivation of dryland crops risky.

Sekhukhune has good arable land despite the arid nature of the district.
More than half of this land is classified as communal land, which made it difficult to leverage it for capital.

The ownership pattern of land also has a potential to deny competent farmers access to land.

The report also notes that agriculture development in Sekhukhune is, like in all districts in South Africa, affected by factors such as exchange rates and labour legislations.

Sekhukhune’s potential is, however, further disadvantaged by lack of skills, support services and infrastructure.

The report concludes that between commercial and developing agriculture, there exists all necessary requirements for competitive production, value-adding and marketing.