Farmers say yes to BEE

"I think 80 - 90% of farmers would say yes to black economic empowerment today," says Montagu farmer Neel Joubert.

He overlooks an 82ha piece of land that he has set aside as an investment for the 35 workers on his fruit farm in the Western Cape.

The land is bare and undeveloped, in stark contrast to the lush peach, apricot and plum orchards and grape vineyards that line the slopes of the rest of the 455ha farm.

Joubert has been waiting for more than a year for government approval for the sale of his land to his workers and the essential funding they'd need to get it started.

Transformation

The land grant system awards between R20 000 and R100 000 to every formerly disadvantaged individual looking to start their own farm, based on their own contribution from R5 000 upwards.

It forms part of government's push to get 30% of agricultural land transferred to black ownership by 2014.

Black ownership of agricultural land is currently at about 10%.