Monday, 15 January, 2018
Hein on Wine, Hein Koegelenberg
only is Agriculture very important for food production, it contributes to the economy and creates job opportunities in rural communities and for unskilled workers. According to a 2016 marketing intelligence report on South African agriculture compiled by GreenCape: “South Africa’s primary agriculture sector contributes significantly to the country’s economy – approximately R58.2 billion ($6.8 billion) or 2% to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2012. The sector plays a critical role as an employer and accounted for approximately 7% of formal employment in 2013, of which a significant share is unskilled labour (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) 2013b). Elementary workers make up 77% of the agricultural workforce; of those 22% are considered unskilled. The agricultural sector is also important for ensuring the country’s food security.”
Agbiz (Agricultural Business Chamber) economist Wandile Sihlobo reports in their November newsletter about significant job losses in the agriculture sector in 2017. “After cutting 84 000 jobs in the first half of 2017, South Africa’s agricultural sector saw a further 25 000 jobs lost in the third quarter. This puts the combined agricultural job cuts for the past three quarters of this year at 109 000. About 84% of the third quarter job losses were in the Western Cape, which reflects the impact of the continued drought on agricultural activity in the province.”
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