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setting a quota on milk production may have the effect of causing a shortage of butter or other dairy products. Nevertheless, there was( and is) sound reasoning behind why such measures were not all to the detriment of the country and her citizens at the time. And it ' s not as if South Africa was unique in applying control measures to its agricultural sector. Fact is, most countries do, to some extent or another. But the new government post-1994 took a dim view of agricultural controls, particularly as it was clear that the beneficiaries were, in the main, white( Afrikaans) farmers, and in probably the most decisive bit of legislative enactment in the history of the“ new” South Africa, the control boards were disbanded, while some were reconstituted in different roles
With the closure of the Agricultural Control Boards, SA entered an era of free competition in agriculture, something almost unheard of in the western world, where subsidies and controls are the norm rather than the exception
and with different powers. And thus, from the late 1990s South Africa ' s agricultural sector entered a period of unbridled free-marketism, unfettered by controls, subsidies, quotas and the like. And this mightily pleased the ANC, which felt it had dealt a timeous hammer-blow to a constituency it didn ' t have much time for, namely white( Afrikaans) farmers. And it mightily pleased another sector, too, namely the food production sector: the processors, packers, distributors and retailers of food, who have gradually increased their control over the sector and, consequently, their profits. The result has been concerning, to say the least. At the production end, traditional commercial farmers have left the business in their thousands( not only because the business is no longer profitable, it should be said, but also because of crime, uncertainly about the future( land tenure), and climate change), while at the consumption end, the price one is required to pay for food in the supermarkets is plain for all to see. Shopbought food is not affordable for most South Africans. Let ' s look at some numbers: ❑ In 1997 there were some 50 000 dairy farmers in South Africa. Today there are 1 600, with a herd of only 1,6 million animals. No wonder there is a butter shortage at
# SAFoodCrisis
the moment. ❑ In 1990 there were upwards of 66 000 commercial crop farmers. Today there are fewer than half that number. To some extent this picture is being changed by the thrust of the government to establish small“ previously disadvantaged” farmers on the land. If this strategy works it could go a long way to ensuring the re-emergence of a vibrant farming sector, with the benefits of greater diversity of food varieties etc. But it will only work if farmers are able to sell their
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