Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan must review the budget allocation for agriculture, the National Emergent Red Meat Producers' Organisation (Nerpo) said on Friday.

In a statement following its annual general meeting, Nerpo said the country's emerging livestock farmers had expressed their displeasure with Treasury's decision to cut the agriculture budget from 0.62 percent of the national budget in 2008/09 to 0.44 percent in 2009/10.

It urged Gordhan to "acutely review his budget allocation for the agricultural sector".

Nerpo managing director Aggrey Mahanajana said the cut went against the Maputo declaration of 2004 "in which all Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries committed themselves to ensuring that the agriculture and food security budget progressively increases to 10 percent of the national budget between 2004 and 2010".

Agriculture remained the cornerstone of the country's economy and should receive the recognition it deserved, he added.

"The board and management have now been tasked ...to go and persuade the National Treasury to seriously consider fulfilling the Maputo declaration," he said.

Mahanjana said the matter would also be discussed at a meeting scheduled with ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe, "with a view to garner the support of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling party."

The meeting was scheduled to take place on November 19 at Luthuli House in Johannesburg, Nerpo said.

Meanwhile, Nerpo chairman Wilson Muvhulawa, said although the organisation had worked lobbied government on various pressing policy matters, "a lot is yet to be achieved in ensuring that such matters are attended to and implemented by government".

Nerpo added that it was concerned about government social grants.

"Nerpo has realised that social grants are destroying the social systems in their communities and encouraging laziness amongst community members.

"The grant system has impacted negatively on the availability of labour for farming activities."

"People who are able to work should work for their social grants in community projects such as community gardens and construction works," the organisation added.

It said it was also concerned about political instability especially in the provinces.

"No lasting relationship can be established with the MECs and senior staff of the provincial departments of agriculture as they are regularly changed."

The organisation had also had difficulty in accessing drought relief.

"Farmers are sometimes forced to wait almost for three years or more before receiving relief interventions from government, if they do receive such relief at all.

"In most cases farmers do not receive the quantities of feed which they requested."

Nerpo said stock theft continued to be a serious menace to livestock farmers.

"An integrated but more effective and no-nonsense judicial system is required to curb stock theft throughout the length and breadth of South Africa.

"The system should also be tighter on border management and controls," it added.

Nerpo said it was "deeply concerned" about how the Land Bank had been run over the years; its accessibility and inability to assist emerging farmers "owing to the reported mismanagement and misappropriation of funds meant for AgriBEE".

It called for an immediate intervention from government but more importantly that the Land Bank be placed under the department of agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

Sapa

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