President Cyril Ramaphosa, who highlighted land access, financing and mentorship as priorities for agricultural transformation. Photo: The Presidency.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says government plans to release approximately 2.5 million hectares of state-owned land to black farmers in an effort to expand participation in commercial agriculture.
In his weekly newsletter on Monday, 12 October, Ramaphosa said the land would be made available through the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy. He stressed that access to land must be accompanied by financing, training and mentorship to help emerging farmers build sustainable businesses.
He highlighted Redlands Farm, a dairy operation in Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape, as an example of agricultural growth supported by Land Bank financing and the Blended Finance Scheme.
Ramaphosa said agricultural exports reached R270 billion in 2025 and the sector employed approximately 944,000 people. However, he noted that black farmers account for only around 10% of commercial agricultural output.
He called for closer cooperation between government, established farmers and financial institutions to improve access to funding, technology and markets.
The announcement did not specify when the full 2.5 million hectares would be transferred or how much land would be allocated in each province.