29/07/2025
Last week Agricultural Writers SA attended the RSA Group stakeholder dinner in Johannesburg. Speaking at the event, minister of agriculture, John Steenhuisen, recognised the value of South Africa's fresh produce market system, while recognising the need for urgent intervention to ensure these markets continue to provide food security:
"Let me begin by acknowledging something we all understand intuitively—South Africa’s open market system for fresh produce is a national asset. It functions efficiently, it is resilient, and it is the backbone of food security for millions of our fellow citizens. Most importantly, it does all of this at zero cost to the State. In fact, it stands out globally for being a self-sustaining system that empowers producers of all sizes, feeds the formal and informal economy, and enables real price discovery that reflects market realities rather than bureaucratic interference.
"However, this very system is now under threat. The long-standing and well-documented failures in infrastructure, from crumbling roads and unreliable power to underperforming ports and degraded fresh produce markets, pose an existential risk. This is not news to you. You have lived it. You have worked around it, and increasingly, you are reaching the limits of what can be absorbed privately. I want you to know—we hear you."
Pictured from the back, left to right: Andries Erasmus, RSA Group
Zubair Nathie, RSA ME, MEC of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, minister John Steenhuisen, Tommie van Zyl, ZZ2, Johan Koen, RSA Group. In front from left to right: Jaco Oosthuizen, RSA Group, Greg Whitaker, AgrigateOne, and Tshepho Dhlamini, African Rainbow Capital.