SA, Congo close to huge land deal

Pretoria - South Africa could by the end of this month reach agreement on a land deal with the Republic of Congo, with some farmers expected to visit Congo early next year to identify farm land, a farmers' group said on Thursday.

South Africa has one of the most developed agricultural sectors on the continent and its farmers are looking to expand into other countries.

The deal - part of Congo's plan to improve food security by allowing South African farmers to lease land for up to 105 years to grow maize, soya beans as well as for poultry and dairy - will be one of the biggest land agreements on the continent.

"We have just closed the final matters on individual contracts between farmers and the Republic of Congo's department of agriculture two weeks ago," Agri SA deputy president Theo de Jager told a news briefing on Thursday.

De Jager also said South Africa will explore more farming opportunities in Mozambique's Gaza province. Some 800 commercial South African farmers were already farming in Mozambique.

Not a true reflection

South African farmers have so far received land offers from 22 countries across Africa.

But lack of bilateral agreements between South Africa and some countries had discouraged farmers from investing.

Investment at home has also slowed owing to the uncertainty over the land reform programme, meant to hand over 30% of farm land to black majority by 2014.

The government said last year it had managed to transfer 6% of land to blacks and said it will introduce new ways to speed up the process.

But de Jager said government's figure was not a true reflection of what was on the ground as more land has changed hands through private deals.

"A lot of land also belongs to trusts and firms and we have to look at their composition, who has shareholding in them," he said.

De Jager said South Africa needs an updated database on land ownership, which should also show ownership by race.

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http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/SA-Congo-close-to-huge-land-deal-20101111

Lyk my die boere moet maar die Paul Kruger standbeeld Congo toe neem

Hoe meer boere die land verlaat, hoe minder kos gaan ons he - hulle soek ons orals behalwe hier?

We should just be one f'n nation -- instead of just some countries developing while the others are getting pushed further down the pole.

We should all be able to buy have land in the Congo, Kenya, Egypt, etc at will without having to strike "deals".

Do these African "leaders" really give a **** about this continent and the people?

Every other continent is being stronger acting as one while we are continuing to separate ourselves...

...Sigh!

Imagine if Africa was called United Nations of Africa - UNA, it even sounds nice. Come on, someone agree with me?

It's a race!

But seriously, the Congo? Insane.

@VioAdmin: Na, UNA sucks, lets call it the United States of Africa.

More Mense

It is all about food for the peoples, hulle weet ons kan verskaf where they canot farm and feed the people, as all the farmers leave to all other lands then the people here wil go hungry.

Hulle soek ons nie hier nie, so die boere se flok jou ons trek, i wil not go to another africa land rather Georgia.

Maar die wie gaan sal n sukses maak en alle voorspoed.

Africa leader only care about africa leader :wtf:

Reg nag julle ek gaan nou inkruip mag julle n lekker dag netnou hê

Kwaaiboer

KwaaiBoer said:

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/SA-Congo-close-to-huge-land-deal-20101111

Lyk my die boere moet maar die Paul Kruger standbeeld Congo toe neem

Hoe meer boere die land verlaat, hoe minder kos gaan ons he - hulle soek ons orals behalwe hier?

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You are one paranoid little dutchman
Only posting along one agenda (from what I've seen anyway)
Nowhere in that article does it state that the farmers are leaving - they're looking for opportunities to invest and expand. And why not?
We've had some bad years for rain and farmers are struggling - but I don't see them just packing up their operations and losing out on;

• their family legacy here in the country
• the moerse financial investments that went along with creating a sustainable farm.

If the Congo deal is viable for farmers and they can make good money out of it, I say "Good on them"

But they obviously have to be weary of what they're getting themselves in for.

KwaaiBoer said:

Hoe meer boere die land verlaat, hoe minder kos gaan ons he - hulle soek ons orals behalwe hier?

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Wys vir my a plaasboer wie nie weet wat a goeie besigheids besluit is nie (ten minste een wat op grootskaal boer)

Daar is wins te maak, hier en in Congo.

More Shake&Bake

The commercial farm numbers are getting less, below is n artikle from August and the numbers are only tot 2007

In the 14 years from 1993 - 2007 = 17998 less commercial farmers en die is net die vaarvan hulle weet.

According to Agricultural Census data released by Statistics SA, the official statisticians of government, the number of commercial farming units in South Africa have declined by a fifth since 1993. In 1993 there were 57 980 commercial farming units, which increased to 60 938 in 1996, but declined to 45 818 in 2002, and declined further to 39 982 farming units by 2007. This suggests a consolidation of landholding into larger units of ownership and production. With respect to the number of smallholder farmers, it is estimated that there are approximately 200 000 of these farmers. According to the Labour Force Survey, 2007, about 2.5 million households or 4 million people produce extra food for own consumption Four district municipalities, namely Vhembe in Limpopo, Umkhanyakude in KwaZulu-Natal, Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo in the Eastern Cape, account for a large percentage of household food producers, especially Vhembe and OR Tambo. A report in 2009 by the University of Stellenbosch indicates that of the estimated eight million households living in non-metro areas in South Africa, 17% or 1.3 million households, have access to land for farming purposes. About 97% of these households engage in some farming activity, mostly on relatively small plots of land. Geographically, these households are mainly clustered in the former homeland areas, with 64% of these households living in 10 districts, six of which have been declared presidential poverty nodes.

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http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politi...8?oid=195844&sn=Marketingweb+detail&pid=90389

Dan het jy die klein skaal "boere" wie net genoeg vir hulle self voorsien, ons plaas is amper 80 jaar aan die gang en ek belowe jou nou afhangende van die Groen Papier wanneer hy uitgestel word sal die boere of aangaan met boer hier ... of die plaas verkoop aan die naaste BEE maatskappy en die geld uit die land vat.

Ek wag vir die nommers van boere wie in die laaste 5 jaar land uit is sodat ek vir hulle bietjie kan uitvra waar hulle is en hoe dit met hulle gaan, sodra TLU vir my die besonderhede bekendstel sal ek hier kom deel.

Ek wonder ook hoeveel mense weet dat meeste van die saad wat die klein skaal boere gebruik "GM" saad is, en net een slegte oes en hulle is bankrot, dit gaan nie meer vir baie boere net oor geld nie, hulle raak gatvol.

Sorry for all the afrikaans

p.s meeste boere se kinders en familie sit in Londen of Australië, New Seeland, Kanada ens. en die kinders wil nie boer nie, verkoop maar en gaan tree af

So paar jaar gelede het my pa weens sy gesondheid afgetree en Langkloof toe getrek, my sussie het getou toe sy in Engeland swot en voel vere vir boer ek is die laaste boer in my familie en raak ook nie jonger nie...

Ek wil ook eendag n vrou en kinders hê en as ek moet verkoop en iewers anders myself moet vestig doen ek dit liewers terwyl ek nog redelik jonk is

Ek is nou 27 en gaan volgende November trou en sal maar sien waar ek myself gaan vind teen daai tyd.

Die ander soort nuus waaroor julle heeldag stry stel ek nie in belang nie en julle stry lekker sonder my insette

As die pleit van die Suid Afrikaanse boer nie vir julle belangrik is nie, dan moer julle se en ek sal maar aanstap.

Daar is bitter min plekke waar ek met mense op die internet kan praat weens die feit dat 99% van alle afrikaans forums heel regs is ... ek is nog nie daar in my denke nie.

Nou ja ek moet nou gaan werk en geniet julle dag verder

Groete
Kwaaiboer

Dankie vir die informasie bo.

Die nommers maak maar vir a bietjie skrik nê.

Maar dink jy rerig dat hierdie boere wat nou hierdie Congo planne maak, werklik ook hul plaaslike bedrywighede sal los?

Lekker werk.

Die probleem is dat 'n 105 jaar lease nie veel beteken as die DRC se regering in 'n paar jaar omvergewerp word in n staatsgreep nie. Afrika is nog steeds baie onstabiel.

Feel sorry for those farmers that move. It will only be a matter of time before theres another political uprising.

Fudzy said:

Feel sorry for those farmers that move. It will only be a matter of time before theres another political uprising.

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Not really, the Congo has settled down along with many other states. I would happily move back to Zambia, for example, and I don't see Congo as being that much more of a risk.