South Africa should return to its former status as a net exporter of food, said Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana at the launch of the Ministerial Advisory Council for Agriculture and Land Affairs yesterday.

The main objective of the council, which was first proposed in 2001, is to stimulate investment in the farm sector following a general decline in agriculture in the country in recent years.

During the last ten years South Africa has become a net importer of food and other agricultural commodities, as agriculture production fell and currency exchange rates made SA goods more expensive on the global market.

The government announced the Agriculture Sector Plan at the national consultative summit on agriculture in Polokwane, Limpopo, earlier this month.