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November 2016
His solution to problems resulting from drought is to be better
prepared. Smallholder farmers should plant fodder this season for
next winter. South Africa should also start investing in water har-
vesting technologies where water can be stored underground for
future use – 50 x 10 000 litre tanks could have a big impact during
a drought.
Working with the Department of Water and Sanitation a strategy
should be formulated to predict water shortages timeously and to
ensure that the current dam levels increase.
Plans and objectives
The new Director-General hopes to improve the role the DAFF
plays in the agricultural industry. One of the areas where he wants
to make the biggest impact is in rural areas.
‘Government grants have had the unintended consequence of
making people dependent on the government. People are not des-
perate to do things for themselves. They are not self-reliant so fields
are left uncultivated and cattle are not cared for properly because
at the end of the month the government will bring assistance,’ he
elucidates on this serious problem.
He would like to see extension officers training subsistence farm-
ers in rural areas to improve their farming skills. To ensure that this
realises, sufficient funds will be needed.
Converting dependence on government to self-reliance is however
not his only priority. Other issues on his agenda include support to
white commercial producers to find markets overseas and a closer
working partnership between producers of all backgrounds which
can lead to a united organised agricultural sector.
Mlengana’s five-point plan to optimise the DAFF’s functionality is as
follows:
The revitalisation of all agricultural projects that have failed in
the past, like dams and irrigation schemes. Agro-processing
like a mealing facility is vital as primary production and must lead
to value creation in the value chain.
The department has to ensure that smallholder farmers own
assets that will lead to less dependence on the government.
An electronic producer register has to be established where
a complete profile of all producers in South Africa are listed
for reference purposes. There must also be a technological man-
agement system that captures all assets and activities in agricul-
ture in one central system.
Broad consultation with all stakeholders in a transparent manner
has to take place about planned action and strategies.
To verify and validate all assets of the department that have
been purchased, for example unutilised tractors have to be re-
stored as the department cannot buy new equipment all the time.
His biggest dream for his term as Director-General is to have
achieved the development of at least 50 fully fledged African
commercial producers per province – producers who are able to
produce quality products that give rise to foreign earnings and con-
tribute to growth in the country. In addition hereto he dreams of a
commercial business owned by emerging farmers – a commercial
entity that serves the country.
On his wish list is also the establishing of an electronic producer
register where the complete profile of a producer can be seen at
the press of a button. During his term he wants to ensure that the
capacity profile of the department is improved.
Food security
To Mlengana food security is a poverty alleviator which is there-
fore a priority. He believes that importing food from outside South
Africa will not stop poverty, so the communities have to be assisted
to produce their own food.
‘Communities must develop a self-reliance attitude to prevent
them from being dependent on others for the rest of their lives,’ he
says. To him hunger is at the centre of almost all the problems in
Africa. It will therefore continue to be a priority to the government
together with job creation.
He wants a closer working partnership between producers of all backgrounds, which can lead to a united organised agricultural sector.