Opportunities for South African Farmers

A Global “Harvest”: Tapping into the World Economy 

As we are now early into a new year, it is the perfect opportunity to look ahead and plan for both this year and beyond. The farming industry was categorised as a critical industry as South Africa navigated through one of the most unprecendent years of our time, a period that has been classified as a national state of disaster. Additionally, there have been reports that for many farming businesses in South Africa, there have been disruptions in reaching optimal output due to adverse effects of the pandemic in other sectors of the value chain. Forging ahead requires all of us being better prepared with a diversified portfolio of risk and opportunities.

With more than 80 immigration programs to choose from, the Canadian government has designated provinces where skilled farmers and professionals in the agricultural industry have the opportunity to broaden farm management skills in one of the fastest growing agricultural industries in the world. According to the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, cited in the Farm Credit Canada 2019/2020 Annual Report; Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector contributed over $155 Billion to the country’s GDP in the past year with around three million people employed in this sector.

It is no surprise that Canada is considered one of the Top 25 countries for farming, globally. With post-pandemic recovery strategies in place, the immigration industry is not being left behind, as the Canadian government aims to welcome 401,000 new permanent residents in the year 2021; 411,000 in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023, across various streams, with the economic streams accounting for more than half of the planned admissions.

This initiative from the Canadian government provides a great opportunity for South African farmers and professionals to pursue opportunities in Canada’s agricultural industry – a global harvest, for global citizens. With these visas open to families as well, children (under the age of 22) will also have access to education at top-tier schools and universities.

Whether it is the mountainous Province of Alberta, the scenic Saskatchewan that is renowned for being the world’s top exporter of lentils and dry peas or the beautiful province of Manitoba, surrounded by streams of rivers and lakes – from as little as CAD 150,000 (Saskatchewan), CAD 300, 000 (Manitoba), or CAD 500,000 (Alberta), South African professionals  could own and operate a farm in Canada this year and beyond.

Regardless of these specific farmer-oriented streams, each province in Canada has its own investment thresholds and requirements to buy an existing business or create a new one in the agri-food sector. Fragomen has an experienced team of immigration professionals to support you every step of the way.

Should you wish to discuss this opportunity please reach out to Ziphozihle Ntlanganiso, [email protected], Cosmina Morariu, [email protected] or your Fragomen immigration professional. This blog was published on 14 January 2021, and due to the circumstances, there are frequent changes. To keep up to date with all the latest updates on global immigration, please visit our COVID-19 microsite, subscribe to our alerts and follow us on LinkedIn.