Parliament - Government remains committed to strengthening its support to commercial farmers, says Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tina Joemat-Pettersson.
Tabling her department's budget on Wednesday, the minister said commercial farmers played a critical role in economic growth, job creation, food security and the transformation of the industry.
The department will further accelerate land reform, increase the number of black entrepreneurs in agri-business, raise agricultural production, promote trade and provide access to support services to targeted groups.
"We will also broaden and strengthen their partnerships with organised agriculture, and those components that still need to be organised, including subsistence and new farmers as well as cooperatives in agriculture, forestry and fisheries," Ms Joemat-Pettersson said.
The department, she said, will redouble its efforts to give practical expression to its constitutional mandate of food security by creating an environment in which adequate food is available for all.
"We will review the existing food security programmes to take into consideration other interventions that are based on social development and welfare, education and health programmes.
"We must produce good, nutritious food where people live. We must do this in a sustainable and cost-effective way," Ms Joemat-Pettersson said.
Through working with rural communities, she said, the department will develop programmes that are based on sound agro-ecology principles so that the soil remains full of nutrients to produce good food.
"Our food security programmes will, over time, evolve to bear the fruits of food sovereignty, where people are able to grow food in a sustainable and self-sufficient way," the minister said.
