Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has called for deeper collaboration between government and the private sector to unlock the next phase of growth in South Africa's agricultural sector.
Addressing the Agbiz Congress 2026 Gala Dinner on Thursday under the theme: "Embracing Collaboration", Steenhuisen said South African agriculture had consistently demonstrated resilience amid global uncertainty and domestic challenges but warned that future growth would depend on stronger cooperation between stakeholders.
The Minister described agriculture as one of the few sectors where practical problem-solving continues to take precedence over ideology, enabling the industry to remain competitive despite global conflicts, rising protectionism, disrupted shipping routes, volatile exchange rates, logistical bottlenecks, climate shocks, and ongoing biosecurity threats, among others.
“We have seen how quickly tariffs can alter global trade flows and how fragile supply chains remain in an increasingly fractured world. Yet despite all of this, South African agriculture continues to grow.
“That says something important about this sector. Agriculture succeeds in South Africa not because conditions are easy, but because this sector has learned how to adapt faster than the obstacles confronting it,” the Minister said.
He attributed the sector's performance to the resilience, innovation and adaptability of farmers, agribusinesses, exporters and commodity organisations.
The Minister said government's role should primarily be to create an enabling environment for growth by removing barriers, opening export markets, strengthening biosecurity systems and ensuring policy certainty.
He argued that prosperity is ultimately driven by productive sectors, while government should focus on creating conditions that support investment and economic activity.
“Once we have done that, we must have the confidence to get out of the way and allow farmers, exporters, agribusinesses and investors to do what they do best. The reality is that government does not create prosperity on its own.”
Steenhuisen said the theme is more than a slogan and has become an economic necessity.
"The next phase of agricultural growth in South Africa will not be delivered by government alone, nor by the private sector alone. It will be built through practical partnerships focused on execution rather than endless process," he said.
The Minister identified four priority areas where greater collaboration could accelerate growth and improve competitiveness.
The first is biosecurity, which he described as central to trade, investment confidence and food security following recent outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). Steenhuisen said government was pursuing an aggressive risk-based disease management strategy, including efforts to achieve an FMD-free status with vaccination, while strengthening vaccine procurement, traceability, and surveillance systems.
Other priorities
The second priority is infrastructure and logistics. Steenhuisen acknowledged that producers have long borne the cost of inefficiencies in ports, rail and freight systems, which continue to undermine competitiveness.
While welcoming recent reforms and growing private-sector participation in logistics infrastructure, he said agriculture should play a leading role in shaping public-private partnerships aimed at restoring efficiency and supporting export growth.
Access to finance was identified as the third area requiring stronger cooperation. Steenhuisen said government, financial institutions and agribusinesses needed to work more closely to expand support for emerging farmers and integrate them into commercial value chains.
This includes expanding the use of commodity-backed lending, warehouse receipt systems, off-take agreements, blended finance guarantees and inventory-backed facilities that allow farmers to leverage verified commodity stock and productive cashflows alongside traditional forms of collateral.
The fourth focus area is technology and extension services. Steenhuisen said traditional agricultural extension models were no longer sufficient to meet the demands of modern farming and highlighted the potential of digital advisory platforms and technology-driven support systems.
He encouraged greater collaboration between government, agribusinesses, commodity organisations, financial institutions and technology companies to improve farmers' access to information, markets and technical expertise.
The Minister also highlighted biofuels as a potential growth frontier for the sector, saying the industry could create new opportunities for grain, sugar and oilseed producers while supporting rural economic development.
However, he warned that progress would require policy certainty, investment and coordinated action across multiple government departments and industry stakeholders.
“We have already initiated interdepartmental engagements to establish a coordinated pathway forward involving agriculture, energy, trade and industrial policy stakeholders.”– SAnews.gov.za
