Oversight Visit Highlights Eastern Cape’s Farming Challenges

The national assembly’s Committee on Agriculture launched a week-long oversight tour of the Eastern Cape that began with a visit to the Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency-backed macadamia and citrus programmes, signalling heightened focus on agricultural transformation and small-farmer inclusion.

The delegation arrived in the Raymond Mhlaba local municipality to meet traditional authority Chief Siseko Maqoma and inspect packhouse operations in the Kat River/Seymour area, before moving on to the Keiskammahoek zone’s Zanyokwe Farmer Production Support Unit and the community half-owned Ncera Macadamia Farming enterprise. Officials described the tour as a “hands-on” inquiry into how government-led schemes are bridging the divide between emerging and commercial agriculture.

The portfolio committee’s chairperson remarked that the macadamia farm has achieved its fifth harvest but cautioned that export earnings remain subdued and full commercial maturity is still pending. This echoes concerns raised earlier by opposition figures about the farm’s viability, citing two decades of public funding, slower-than-expected job creation and unresolved management issues. Analysts admire the ambition behind the project but note that growth has been inconsistent and that market linkages remain fragile.

Citrus operations in the area form part of the province’s strategic effort to develop horticulture value chains. Farmers visited described improved irrigation infrastructure and access to packhouses as concrete gains, yet female smallholders reported that governance roles remain male dominated, curbing their decision-making power despite being trained in production techniques. Research by an academic consortium on the partnerships involving the Eastern Cape citrus sector found that, while yields and technical support improved for both men and women, women secured fewer leadership positions and formal contracts.

The oversight team also examined how the Farmer Production Support Units programme is being implemented. Official documents show that the Department of Agriculture’s 2023/24 performance plan lists 23 FPSU projects in the province as part of an “Agri-Parks” initiative to expand infrastructure and services for smallholder growers. While the policy emphasises irrigation, storage and processing support, field reports note persistent delays in payments, contested land access and infrastructural bottlenecks that hamper scaling up.

Provincial agricultural officials defended their performance by pointing to a rising number of cooperatives supported and growing engagement with private-sector nodes. However critics highlight that the structural legacies of land reform and rural poverty demand deeper reform. A 2025 investigation into the Ncera macadamia farm by an opposition party described the initiative as “a cautionary tale of unfulfilled promises,” citing R70 million plus invested without commensurate returns, raising questions about oversight, transparency and value for taxpayers.

Amid the dialogue the oversight committee reiterated that transformation is not solely about volume of production but also about equitable access to assets, markets and leadership. The Eastern Cape initiative emphasises youth and women beneficiaries, yet many agribusinesses remain dominated by established operators. Smallholder farmers remain vulnerable to the effects of drought, input-cost inflation and volatile export markets. Investors and government sources agree that if horticulture and nut projects are to fulfil their potential, they must link production to finance, digital services and consistent market access.

The visit comes at a time when the global nuts and citrus markets are under pressure. South Africa’s macadamia industry, once buoyant with export earnings, has seen yields slip from 46,000 tons previously to about 42,000 while Australia overtook it as the top producer. In citrus the demand for high-quality, phytosanitary-compliant fruit continues to mount, pushing growers to upgrade equipment and adopt tighter standards—costs that weigh heavily on emergent growers.