Steenhuisen Urges SADC to Fast-Track Fertiliser Reform and Animal Disease Control

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has called on SADC Member States to urgently accelerate regional cooperation on fertiliser regulation, food security and animal disease control, warning that fragmented agricultural systems are leaving Southern Africa exposed to global shocks, climate disasters and rising input costs. Speaking at the SADC Joint Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Agriculture, Food Security, Fisheries and Aquaculture in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, on 29 May 2026, Steenhuisen said the region can no longer afford delayed reforms as farmers face high fertiliser prices, inflationary pressure, disrupted supply chains, droughts, floods and livestock disease outbreaks. He said an estimated 58 million people across SADC still face acute food insecurity, despite improved cereal production after the previous season's severe drought, making regional action on affordability, access and production more urgent. Steenhuisen urged member states to fast-track the proposed Memorandum of Understanding on the Harmonisation of Fertiliser Regulatory Frameworks, saying unaligned standards, duplicate registration systems and regulatory bottlenecks push up costs and slow regional trade. He also warned that Foot-and-Mouth Disease remains a serious threat to livestock production, rural livelihoods and food systems, with 11 SADC member states reporting outbreaks, and called for stronger cross-border surveillance, coordinated vaccination, rapid response systems and shared technical capacity to protect agriculture as a foundation of regional stability.