Aucamp pledges collaboration as he takes over agriculture portfolio

New Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp has pledged humility and collaboration as he steps into the agriculture portfolio, calling the role “a great honour and privilege” and saying he cannot tackle the sector’s challenges alone.

Collaboration with farmers and industry

Aucamp said he will rely on farmers, veterinarians and agricultural organisations to help strengthen the sector. He emphasised the need to work together rather than acting in isolation.

Industry welcomes appointment but urges urgent action

Industry leaders welcomed Aucamp’s appointment while warning that stability, policy continuity and decisive action are needed to protect food production. Francois Rossouw, chief executive officer of the Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai), said he has arranged to meet Aucamp next week.

“Not only is foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) still running like wildfire across the country, but the prices of diesel and fertiliser remain too high to enable farmers to harvest the current crop and budget for the 2026 planting season,”

Rossouw also said “the devastating floods in large parts of the country have also rendered infrastructure damaged, fields and orchards are lost and dams broken.”

Call for coordinated public–private response

Bennie van Zyl, chair of TLU SA, said agriculture does not operate according to political timeframes and that the sector requires stability, policy continuity and long-term decision-making focused on food production.

“The immediate focus should be on controlling foot-and-mouth disease,”

Van Zyl called for a collective approach that uses expertise and capacity from both the public and private sectors to contain the disease. He said the minister’s remit goes beyond FMD and highlighted several other priorities: input costs, biosecurity, property rights, rural safety, market access, infrastructure and policy certainty.

Van Zyl added that Aucamp will need to acquaint himself with the mounting pressure that input costs place on producers, and that organised agriculture should partner to find solutions that strengthen the sustainability of food production.

Key pressures named by industry

• Foot-and-mouth disease spread
• High diesel and fertiliser prices affecting harvests and planting
• Flood damage to infrastructure, fields, orchards and dams
• Broader concerns including biosecurity, property rights, rural safety, market access and policy certainty

Published: 3 July 2026