Food security is being threatened

It was revealed last year by the minister of land reform that 90% of former white-owned farms redistributed to black farmers are no longer productive.
These farms have to be recapitalised at a great cost. By 2012, 1 807 projects needed rescuing. So far 595 projects are being recapitalised at a cost of R1.2 billion a year and only 11 are now productive. There are another 416 projects to rescue. Government realises that allowing commercial farms to fall out of production would threaten food security.
Should government pursue with land claims in spite of the consequences? Can government afford to lose experienced farmers? Can government afford to jeopardize food production? Can the country afford to lose billions in revenue through non-productive farms? Can land claimant afford to have land with no food production? Can government afford to pursue a programme no matter what the cost to the nation and the country? Can the people afford to have land in their hands and not farm it? Can the nation afford to accept the consequence of land claims? Can people afford to stay silent when their food production is threatened? Can government afford to ignore food security for their future generation? Can government and land claimant afford to disfranchise white and Indian farmers for what the previous government did?
God created all large and small with a purpose, so too were humans. Therefore no one race can live without the others.

MRS D GOVENDER
Rietvlei