Image Source: Polity
Local – R3.2 billion has been set aside for food security and farmer support in the Department of Agriculture’s 2025/26 Budget Vote, as the government looks to make meaningful inroads into South Africa’s stubborn unemployment crisis through the agricultural sector.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen presented the Budget Vote in Parliament on Friday, outlining plans to grow the sector’s contribution to employment and economic inclusion.
A further R924 million was allocated to trade, marketing and economic development, with a focus on getting more producers into higher-value markets, both locally and abroad.
The announcements come amid persistently high unemployment, with millions of South Africans still without work.
Steenhuisen said the budget is tied to a broader government target of unlocking 300 000 jobs across the agricultural value chain, building on a sector that already sustains close to 950 000 livelihoods.
Financing partnerships with the Industrial Development Corporation and the Land Bank have supported more than 14,000 jobs through the Blended Finance Scheme, while 370 Agricultural Practitioners have been deployed to provide frontline support to farming communities.
R306 million has been committed over the medium term to expanding that workforce, with a proposed biofuels blending programme projected to create up to 25,000 additional jobs, mostly in rural areas.
“Growth in agriculture must translate into real opportunities on the ground. This budget is directed at deepening value chains, expanding market access and ensuring that more South Africans participate meaningfully in the sector,” Steenhuisen said.
Agricultural export performance has added further weight to the case for sectoral investment, with exports reaching R268.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025, a 9% year-on-year increase.
The country also cemented its position as the world’s largest citrus exporter by volume, shipping 2.9 million tons last year, as it continues to expand into markets across Asia and beyond.
The Minister said structural challenges around transformation and inequality remain unresolved. Steenhuisen called for a shift in the sector’s direction.
“Agriculture has always been a sector of quiet resilience. But in the years ahead, it must become a sector of deliberate growth. Growth that is inclusive, export-oriented, and translates into jobs, investment, and opportunity.”
