Cape Town - AgriSA has started a series of discussions with Rural Development and Land Reform Minister
Gugile Nkwinti to find consensus on the future of commercial farming, the agriculture union said on Wednesday.
The first round of talks took place in Pretoria on April 5 and more were to follow, AgriSA said.
The union said Nkwinti gave assurances that policy changes proposed in the Green Paper on land reform, expected to be given to Cabinet in June, would not affect the production structure of commercial farms.
However, the minister was firm that "changes would have to be made with regard to ownership".
AgriSA said it raised the "deficiencies regarding the implementation of land reform" and called for these to be addressed rather than drastic policy changes to be made.
It also discussed the draft Tenure Security Bill with the minister and raised concerns that it would give farm dwellers unlimited rights, "which could disrupt farming operations and place an unbearable financial burden on land owners".
The issue will be taken further at a meeting with Nkwinti and his advisers in the near future, Agri SA said.