South African food resources for the future∗

Abstract

Internationally, Government action has failed to resolve problems of agriculture, and has proved expensive. Views on the long‐term ability of agriculture to produce sufficient food have varied between optimism and pessimism. Pessimism prevailed in the seventies, but the same period experienced rapid increases in food production, with stocks reaching record volumes by 1986. Food production has outstripped population growth over the long run. Food shortages and famines are caused by distribution problems rather than low aggregate production. Differences in income levels cause problems in the entitlement of poorer people to food. South African agriculture exhibits dualism in production, both in terms of quantities produced and sophistication in the array of foodstuffs produced. Dualism is as prevalent in consumption. In South Africa, some have food in abundance, and others live below the breadline. This is a function of revenue, and has a racial content as well as security implications. South African food industries should cope with dualism by accepting raw materials of differing quality and delivering foodstuffs with differing attributes. This calls for deregulation and a small degree of concentration. Sanctions may aggravate affairs.