SA farmers now heading to Canada to develop ‘prairie provinces’ – report

A report by Business Insider yesterday reveals that skilled South African farmers with reasonable amounts of capital from the sale of their farms may be finding greener pastures in North America.

Canada is actively courting as many as 1 million skilled and otherwise productive immigrants in a plan to boost its already well-developed economy.

Due to South Africa’s current political, business, government and economic problems, there has been an increasing wave of emigration, as well as a shift in mood towards wanting to leave the country, according to experts the publication spoke to.

According to the report, a number of “prairie provinces” are keen to attract skilled farmers who have about R6 million they can invest in farming.

In smaller states, South Africans may even be able to get into the country if they have a degree, experience, are proficient in English and have about R3 million.

Last year, the world’s largest country, Russia – which, like Canada, is relatively underpopulated for its size – was reportedly also considering welcoming thousands of South African farmers into its borders to boost its agricultural industry.

A group of about 15,000 farmers reportedly offered their services to the country, to go and farm in the south, while investing their savings in the country and offering English lessons.

According to a Russian news channel, the plan was for the first 30 families to first establish themselves before more would follow. The report suggested the farmers were primarily from the Free State.

News footage showed the delegation being warmly welcomed.

Farmer Adi Siebus told the Russians they were now seeing the move as a matter of life and death owing to the ongoing killings on farms from criminal attacks and the fact that South African politicians had allegedly been stirring up hatred and a “wave of violence”.

South Africa is currently changing the constitution to make expropriation of land without compensation easier.

They said Stavropol has a great climate for farming and each family was said to be willing to bring at least R1.4 million with them to lease land in Russia and kick-start their farming efforts.

(Edited by Charles Cilliers)

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