After a decade of substantial public investment, Gauteng's Agriparks struggle to deliver on their promise to empower small farmers, says the writer.
Gauteng’s Agriparks are meant to be places of hope. They are meant to help emerging farmers move from survival to sustainability. They are meant to link small producers to markets, create jobs, improve food security, support agro-processing, and turn public agricultural infrastructure into engines of local economic growth.
That is the promise. But the reality is that, after ten years and more than R155 million in public investment, there is little to no progress in assisting small farmers, which is far more troubling.
In response to questions from the DA to the MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Vuyiswa Ramogkpa, the department confirmed that R141.5 million has been spent on capital expenditure and R13.5 million on operational expenditure across Gauteng’s Agriparks over the past decade.
Yet the same response states that comprehensive financial reports showing revenue, operational expenses, and profit-or-loss statements per Agripark are unavailable because they are not generated. This should be of concern to every resident of Gauteng.
