IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

The total number of farms/ farming units involved in the commercial agriculture industry in 2017 was 7 951. The largest proportion of farms was in mixed farming (3 888 farms or 48,9% of the total), followed by farming of animals (2 138 or 26,9%) and growing of cereals and other crops (1 710 or 21,5%). The district municipality with the highest number of farms in 2017 was Thabo Mofutsanyane (2 171 farms or 27,3% of the provincial total), followed by Lejweleputswa (2 069 or 26,0%) and Fezile Dabi (1 739 or 21,9%).

The total income for the commercial agriculture industry in 2017 was R46,9 billion, which was 274% higher than the R12,5 billion recorded for 2007. In 2017, the major contributor to total income was mixed farming (R25,4 billion or 54,2%), followed by farming of animals (R11,2 billion or 23,9%) and growing of cereals and other crops (R8,3 billion or 17,7%). The district municipality contributing the most to total income in 2017 was Thabo Mofutsanyane (R17,0 billion or 36,3%), followed by Lejweleputswa (R11,7 billion or 24,9%) and Fezile Dabi (R11,3 billion or 24,2%).

The total number of persons employed in commercial agriculture on 30 June 2018 was 75 129, down from 85 457 on 28 February 2007 (-12,1%). In terms of employment, the major commercial agriculture activity in 2017 was mixed farming (37 766 employees or 50,3% of the total), followed by growing of cereals and other crops (15 920 or 21,2%) and farming of animals (15 576 or 20,7%).