FORESIGHT AGRICULTURE REPORT

The Ministerial Committee on Science and Technology (MCST) commissioned the
National Research and Technology Foresight (NRTF) project in the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST) in 1997. It is the first time in the history of South Africa that such a study has been conducted.
The vision is to ensure that science and technology intervention brings an improved
quality of life, competitive economy and a shared democratic culture to all South
Africans. The Agriculture and Agroprocessing sector mission is:
''To determine a national research and technology (R&T) strategic framework for the
agriculture and agroprocessing sector that would realise a commercially viable,
sustainable and equitable socio-economic development along with public understanding of science and technology in South Africa for the next twenty years.''
Agriculture (including forestry) and agro-industrial processing (agroprocessing)
make a major contribution to the South African economy. While the relative
contribution of agriculture to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is only about 4% to 5%, its impact is much larger, as it directly provides 10,5% of the country's jobs and creates employment for another 16% of the workforce in other sectors. In 1994, agricultural exports resulted in foreign exchange to the tune of R7 240 million. The manufacturing industry contributes about 37% to the GDP, of which25% comes from agroprocessing. In 1997, the turnover of the South African food and beverage processing sector was R72 648 million.