Unemployed subsistence farmers in the slums of South America improved their fate by gaining information and practical experience on land dubbed useless for farming. Expensive processing and packing procedures are not necessary, because fresh produce can be delivered affordably, ie based on the Walmart concept but on a smaller scale.
Over the past 30 years in South Africa, the cold chain has merely been viewed as the entity that artificially raises food inflation. Farmers are prohibited by government regulations (no doubt suggested by the middleman under the pretence of VAT income for the government) to supply their produce directly to the public. The VAT that the consumer has to pay is just as ridiculous as non-believers having to pay Halaal and Kosher licence fees.
I am gatvol of the blatant exploitation through unnecessary ‘value adding’ without there being any benefit for me in the deal. SA has First World standards that don’t work in a Third World country. We must not only rectify the land reform system, but should also simplify the administration of the food chain through fewer regulations.
