Land spend will be prudent

Midrand - Minister of Agriculture Tiena Joemat-Pietersen said she wants to see land restitution move from 10% to the 20- 30% targets, but this does not mean money will simply be thrown at the problem. And government will not just bail out distressed farmers who are not willing to put their shoulders to the wheel.

"Farmers will be given support, but farmers must be willing and able to farm. Others will fall by the wayside," she said.

She noted that ownership of farms bought back from the Land Bank would lie with the government.

She spoke about how the Land Bank borrows funds and must repay liabilities to investors, and how farms will be leased back to the farmers.

She said there are approximately 383 development farmers that are classified as legal. The amount outstanding here is R232m.

She said it was essential to ensure the right farmers are allocated farms and if they do not display financial and farming mettle, farms will be given to other qualifying and keen farmers.

"The strategy is not limited to farmers in distress," she said.

"There are still areas we need to move on," concluded Joemat-Pietersen.

She says there is a comprehensive package in place for the 283 development farmers. But insisted this meant a turnaround strategy must be in place.

She said some of the farms had been abandoned before and were in a state of disrepair. Her department thus had intervention strategies in place and were watching developments closely.

- I-Net Bridge