Joemat-Pettersson leaves with 'head held high'
Cape Town - Former Agriculture Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson says she did her best in the portfolio, and leaves with her head held high.
Speaking to Die Burger after she was appointed energy minister in President Jacob Zuma's new Cabinet, Joemat-Pettersson said the ministry was on a downward slope when she took over.
She said she made more funding available for research and trade, and ensured greater access to markets. However, she conceded she would have liked to have done more, especially providing faster disaster aid to commercial farmers.
Joemat-Pettersson also stated there was a "well orchestrated" campaign to discredit her, and she was blamed for a lot of problems, including the farm workers strike, whereas she actually travelled the country preventing further such strikes.
Both the Transvaal Agriculture Union and Agri-SA told Die Burger that Joemat-Pettersson was approachable and had an "open door" policy, but was also caught up in internal ANC battles.
In January, the DA gave Joemat-Pettersson her third F in its annual Cabinet report card, saying she was the subject of two damning public protector reports and should have been fired a long time ago.
She was also criticised for acting recklessly and unethically by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, in a report on the awarding of an R800m tender.
The agriculture, livestock and fisheries cabinet secretary Felix Koskei has ruled out any possibility of banning rice imports to cushion Kenyan products unless Kenyan farmers increase their output.
Speaking in Mwea, Kirinyaga county during a tour of mwea irrigation scheme, Koskei maintained that existing trade protocols prohibit the government from undertaking such measures without a good reason.
He revealed that rice is currently the third most-consumed cereal crop in the country after maize and wheat.
He was accompanied by the Japanese vice minister for agriculture Taku Eto.
Speaking to Die Burger after she was appointed energy minister in President Jacob Zuma's new Cabinet, Joemat-Pettersson said the ministry was on a downward slope when she took over.
She said she made more funding available for research and trade, and ensured greater access to markets. However, she conceded she would have liked to have done more, especially providing faster disaster aid to commercial farmers.
Joemat-Pettersson also stated there was a "well orchestrated" campaign to discredit her, and she was blamed for a lot of problems, including the farm workers strike, whereas she actually travelled the country preventing further such strikes.
Both the Transvaal Agriculture Union and Agri-SA told Die Burger that Joemat-Pettersson was approachable and had an "open door" policy, but was also caught up in internal ANC battles.
In January, the DA gave Joemat-Pettersson her third F in its annual Cabinet report card, saying she was the subject of two damning public protector reports and should have been fired a long time ago.
She was also criticised for acting recklessly and unethically by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, in a report on the awarding of an R800m tender.
The agriculture, livestock and fisheries cabinet secretary Felix Koskei has ruled out any possibility of banning rice imports to cushion Kenyan products unless Kenyan farmers increase their output.
Speaking in Mwea, Kirinyaga county during a tour of mwea irrigation scheme, Koskei maintained that existing trade protocols prohibit the government from undertaking such measures without a good reason.
He revealed that rice is currently the third most-consumed cereal crop in the country after maize and wheat.
He was accompanied by the Japanese vice minister for agriculture Taku Eto.
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