The President delivered a vital speech today in Cape Town about food insecurity issues in South Africa. He correctly highlighted the household poverty challenges and emphasised the need to find numerous ways of addressing the food insecurity crisis in the country.
Income poverty (which requires an increase in job creation) is one aspect. Inefficient logistics and higher energy prices are among the pressures in the food value chain; thus, we remain with relatively higher food prices, even in times of ample harvests.
Still, the fact that we have a solid agricultural sector, with surpluses, helps a great deal in boosting food security at a NATIONAL LEVEL.
Moreover, another reason for household food insecurity is the low and stagnant growth, which contributes to unacceptable levels of unemployment. On top of this, South Africans spend a significant portion of their wages on transport costs due to the collapse of our public transport system. Ultimately, the country should deal with the constraints to growth, investment and employment.
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