PREMIER'S ADDRESS
Master of ceremonies
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen.
We are honoured to welcome you to our Province, "Place of the Rising Sun", at this auspicious occasion.
I am sure that in the past two days you have discovered that the people of the Province of the Rising Sun are a very friendly people. They love people and are always willing to help.
I believe I am correct in assuming that all of us gathered here today are in one way or the other involved in putting food on the tables of millions of South Africans black and white.
The bacon and eggs we had this morning, the breakfast cereal, the milk, the bread, and the butter you name them. If it is correct that indeed we as farmers were responsible for the things I have just mentioned, then allow me to make a few points on what I believe is a vital sector of our economy.
Agriculture has a central role to play in building a strong economy. It also has the ability to reduce inequalities by increasing incomes and employment opportunities for the poor, while nurturing our inheritance of natural resources.
Large-scale established agriculture has the potential for increased levels of employment and for improving the welfare of farm workers.
What we need is a prosperous agriculture, based on cooperation and collaboration. These will play a part in removing instability and fear. Evictions of people living on the land farm murders and abuses of farm workers are not conducive to the development of this important sector of our economy. Zero tolerance must be offered to those who attack and kill farmers.
It is against these people that we must continually rebel. We must do this on a sustained basis to ensure that the killings stop. But then we must fight, with the same zeal, the inhuman treatment of farm labourers. We must fight farm evictions.
Government is firmly committed to come down harshly against all forms of crime. We trust that everyone gathered here today will make the same commitment we are making to work with us in pursuit of a better life for all our people black and white.
Master of ceremonies I am told your aim at this congress is to, among others, map out strategies of making the agricultural sector globally more competitive.
I believe in your discussions you will find time to address ways of empowering new entrants into the market.
There is much evidence worldwide that small and medium-scale farming can be highly efficient. Can compete successfully in national and international markets. And can create more employment.
We must ensure that new entrants have access to the productive resources and services needed for success.
Our task is to establish an environment where opportunities for higher incomes and employment are created for resource-poor farmers alongside a thriving commercial farming sector.
To achieve that we have to build an efficient and internationally competitive agricultural sector. I hope you also find ways of freeing your sector from business-inhibiting aspects of regulation and state intervention. We wish this congress success confident that it will not disappoint the expectations of the delegates.
Let me conclude by inviting those who come from outside Mpumalanga to use your time in the province to boost our economy. For health reasons and to minimise stress levels, avoid just making this a working visit. Go to the slot machines. We need the revenue.
I thank you.