BFAP 2023 calls for decisive action to forge a sustainable future

“We should heed the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) call for decisive action to forge a sustainable future,” said Western Cape provincial Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer.

Minister Meyer’s comments follow the recent launch of BFAP Baseline Agricultural Outlook 2023-2032.

Minister Meyer continues: “BFAP’s call confirms that to realise the goals of the Western Cape Government’s (WCG) Growth for Jobs Strategy, we must harness every opportunity and advantage we can to negotiate with existing and potential trading partners. For this reason, we must continue our efforts to keep South Africa part of AGOA beyond 2025 as AGOA contributes significantly to export-led job creation in the agriculture sector.”

Established 20 years ago, through rigorous analyses, BFAP’s credible databases and integrated models provide the agriculture sector with unique insights into the sector and related value chains. The 2023 edition of the BFAP Baseline presents an outlook of agricultural production, consumption, prices and trade in South Africa for 2023-2032.

Western Cape Head of Agriculture, Dr Mogale Sebopetsa said: “As a founding member of BFAP, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) regards BFAP’s annual baseline as a key component of the department’s decision-making process. More recently this baseline was used as a reference point for quarterly risk analysis, and the impact of load shedding in the agriculture and agri-processing sector.”

BFAP Baseline 2023-2032 highlights that the sector's challenges are significant, but not insurmountable. These include the need for a stable and conducive policy and investment environment, infrastructure development and services including electricity, roads, and water, well-functioning municipalities, and efficient farmer support programmes.

Minister Meyer said: “The WCG has worked hard to establish an investor and business-friendly environment and by doing so inspire consumer confidence in the Province. The Growth for Jobs Strategy sets out a comprehensive, challenging and ambitious goal for the Western Cape to grow its economy by between 4 and 6% by 2035.”“I am confident that given the agriculture sector’s track record of resilience, it will, with the support of the WCG enhance its competitiveness and build a sustainable future for both primary and secondary agriculture,” concluded Minister Meyer.