Christo says: Production factors critical for a growing agricultural sector

[{“type”:”text”,”content”:”In my opinion it is not land that produce food, but expertise. This expertise is acquired over years of practicing hard-core agriculture. Many who have tried their hand at agriculture, have fallen by the wayside. Those who have persisted against all odds, are reaping the benefits today. Be forewarned however, itu2019s no childu2019s play. The risks remain high and those who have been in this game can share many scary stories in this regard. nnThatu2019s why our farmers need all of our support. Equally so, the same support should be given to new farmers who are committed to produce food for the nation and who do have the character and perseverance to, regardless of all the challenges, keep on farming.nnAccording to Stats SA, South Africa consisted of 40 122 farms or farming units involved in commercial agriculture industry in 2017. The top ten district municipalities by income contributed R148 billion to total income (44.5% of total income). The top ten employment districts accounted for 374 671 employees (49.6% of total employment).nnThe largest proportion of farms was in livestock farming (13 639 or 33.9% of the total), followed by mixed farming (12 458 or 31.1%) and field crops (8 559 or 21.3%). The province with the highest number of farms in 2017 was the Free State (7 951 farms or 19.8% of the national total), followed by the Western Cape (6 937 or 17.3%), Northwest (4 920 or 12.3%) and Northern Cape (4 829 or 12.0%).”,”position”:0,”id”:”y0sJq0hLrhunqjl4″}]