"We cannot get our food out of our ports" - Agri expert Dr Theo de Jager

South African farmers are pleading for intervention as products destined for the export market are rotting at ports besieged by Transnet’s incompetence and a continuing wage dispute. BizNews correspondent Michael Appel spoke to the former president of the World Farmers’ Organisation, Dr Theo de Jager, about the current state of the country’s agri sector in light of the war in Ukraine and the mounting pressure on input costs such as diesel and fertiliser. In terms of land reform, De Jager says what usually takes “six weeks in the private sector takes more than six years in government” with every layer created by the state that “wants a bribe, who wants a cut of the pie”. The land reform agenda continues to be scuppered by the very party – the government – meant to implement it. De Jager adds that while we may have land beneficiaries, we don’t have enough black farmers in the country. He also touches on the insidious ‘kill the farmer, kill the boer’ song that was ruled not to constitute hate speech by the High Court in Johannesburg. This judgment is being appealed by AfriForum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices