Department of Agriculture

What Department of Agriculture does

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), formerly the National Department of Agriculture, is a South African national government ministry headquartered in Pretoria at Agriculture Place, 20 Steve Biko Street, Arcadia. It exercises statutory authority over agricultural production health, food safety, plant and animal health, biosafety, varietal listing, hemp permitting, and trade-related inspection. It also administers land reform, agrarian reform, post-settlement support, rural development, and agricultural cooperatives development. The ministry is led politically by Minister Willie Aucamp and Deputy Minister Nokuzola Capa, with a workforce bracketed at 1,001 to 5,000 employees and an operational footprint spanning a Pretoria headquarters and provincial offices across South Africa's nine provinces (Northern Cape, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State confirmed in source data).

The department's portfolio comprises approximately fifteen operational digital systems and programmes, including the Marketing Information System (MIS), the Agricultural GIS portal (AGIS), the Food Business Operator System (FBO), the Agriculture Inputs Control System, the FMD Vaccination Portal, the National Biosafety Clearing House, the Small Holder Development Portal, the Data Analysis System (CODAS), the AgriBEE Portal, the Proteaceae Cultivar Registration service, the Varietal Listing Service, the Animal Improvement Service, the Plant Production Services, the National Drone Programme, and the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PESI). These systems collectively support farmer registration, market data dissemination, geospatial analysis, biosafety oversight, animal-disease vaccination tracking, and targeted employment activation.

As a national government ministry, DALRRD is funded through South African national budget appropriations rather than commercial revenue. It does not operate a conventional pricing model; services are delivered through provincial offices, extension officers, and digital portals to commercial and subsistence farmers, rural communities, agricultural cooperatives, and food business operators. It oversees five wholly-owned public entities — the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC), Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB), Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), and African Pineapple Agriculture Company (APAC) — and partners with statutory and research bodies to deliver agricultural research, export inspection, marketing, and vaccine production across the value chain.

Name

Department of Agriculture

Legal name

Department of Agriculture

Website

https://nda.gov.za

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is a South African national government ministry headquartered in Pretoria that sets agricultural policy, regulates plant and animal health and food safety, administers land reform, and delivers extension and digital services to commercial and subsistence farmers nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Agricultural Services

NAICS

Regulation of Agricultural Marketing and Commodities (92614), Administration of Economic Programs (9261), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Fisheries & Food Administration (BPAIAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems & Land Management (BPADALAG), Agriculture & Food Security Development (BPAGABAB), Water Rights, Permitting & Compliance Services (Allocations, Reporting) (AFACAFAM), Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices (EDAOAOAO)

Keywords

• Agricultural policy
• Food security programs
• Rural development
• Land reform services
• Veterinary services

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development is a South African government ministry responsible for agricultural policy, food security, and rural development. It delivers regulatory oversight, inspection and quarantine services, plant and animal health programs, extension and advisory services, farmer development support, and food safety assurance. It also operates digital platforms for market information, biosafety, cultivar registration, and disease vaccination tracking, funded through national budget allocations.

Product overview

The Department of Agriculture (South Africa) operates as a government regulatory and service body rather than a commercial product company. Its offerings include internal management systems (MIS, FBO, AGIS, CODAS) for agricultural data and compliance, regulatory services for cultivar registration, plant and animal improvement, and specialized programmes such as the Hemp Regulatory System, National Drone Programme, and Presidential Employment Stimulus. The portfolio is organized around government functions: agricultural production health, food safety, land reform, and rural development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marketing Information System (MIS) Government information system providing agricultural market data and analysis for farmers and stakeholders.
• Food Business Operator System (FBO) System for managing food business operator registrations and compliance for food businesses.
• AGIS (Agricultural GIS Portal) Geographic Information System portal for agricultural data and spatial analysis.
• Agriculture Inputs Control System Online submission and control system for agricultural inputs registration and oversight.
• National Drone Programme Programme for deploying drone technology in agricultural monitoring and surveying.
• AgriBEE Portal Portal for Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment compliance in agriculture.
• Small Holder Development Portal Portal supporting smallholder farmer development and cooperatives.
• Data Analysis System (CODAS) Data analysis system for agricultural statistics and reporting.
• Hemp (Low THC Cannabis) Regulatory System Regulatory framework and permit system for hemp cultivation in South Africa.
• Proteaceae Cultivar Registration Registration system for Proteaceae cultivars including Leucadendron, Leucospermum, Protea, and Serruria species.
• Varietal Listing Service Official varietal listings for potato, seed crops, and fruit crops in South Africa.
• Animal Improvement Service Regulatory services under the Animal Improvement Act for livestock breeding, including registration of inseminators, semen collectors, and donor animals.
• Plant Production Services Services including seed testing, varietal listing, import of unlisted varieties, and plant improvement.
• Presidential Employment Stimulus (PESI) Employment stimulus programme providing guidelines and support for beneficiaries in agriculture.
• FMD Vaccination Portal Online portal for Foot and Mouth Disease vaccination tracking and registration.
• South African Biosafety Clearing House Portal for biosafety information and genetically modified organism tracking.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Agricultural Research Council (ARC)coreOthersARC is a key public entity partner conducting agricultural research and development on behalf of the department. The partnership supports research initiatives and technology development for South African agriculture.
• National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC)coreOthersNAMC provides market analysis, research, and statutory measures for agricultural marketing. The department works with NAMC on market development and agricultural trade policy.
• Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB)coreOthersPPECB provides inspection and cold chain services for perishable products. Partnership ensures compliance with export standards and quality assurance.
• Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP)coreOthersOBP produces vaccines for animal diseases including Foot and Mouth Disease. The department works with OBP for national vaccination campaigns and disease control.
• Presidential Employment Stimulus (PESI)coreOthersPESI is a government employment program implemented by the department to support youth, women, and people with disabilities in agriculture through employment and skills development.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA, UK): UK government department with near-identical combined mandate covering agriculture, food safety, rural development, and land/environmental management — the closest functional peer to DALRRD's integrated scope.
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): UN specialized agency leading international efforts to defeat hunger, with overlapping mandate on food security, agriculture policy support, animal and plant health, and rural development — relevant as a peer organization and as a frequent technical partner to national agriculture ministries.
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC): Canadian federal department responsible for agriculture, agri-food, and agri-based products policy — comparable mandate including regulation, research coordination, and rural economic development.
• Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia): Australian federal agriculture department administering farm policy, biosecurity, exports, and rural programmes — directly analogous in role and regulatory depth, serving as a same-category peer.
• Department of Agriculture (Philippines): Philippine national agriculture department providing policy, extension, and food security programmes across crops, livestock, and fisheries — operates the same kind of national agriculture mandate and service delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• European Commission DG Agriculture and Rural Development: EU-level directorate-general administering the Common Agricultural Policy, market measures, and rural development funds — directly comparable in policy and programme scope to a national agriculture ministry.
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): Federal U.S. agriculture ministry providing farm programs, rural development, food safety, and natural resource management — comparable in mandate (agriculture policy, food security, rural development) but operating at much larger scale in a different jurisdiction.
• Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (India): Indian federal ministry responsible for agriculture, horticulture, farmer welfare, and agricultural research — large-scale peer with similar multi-tier structure (national + state extension) and regulatory scope.

Others

• National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC, South Africa): Statutory body under DALRRD providing market analysis and trade policy support — comparable in scope on agricultural marketing and trade but operates as a subsidiary rather than peer authority.
• Agricultural Research Council (ARC, South Africa): Wholly-owned public entity under DALRRD conducting agricultural research and technology development — comparable as the research arm of the agriculture ministry but operates as a subsidiary, not a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DOAgov_ZA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@doagov_za?si=_2sbIWcPQ-tg-mH2
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-department-of-agriculture
• Instagraminstagram.com/doagov_za?utm_source=qr&igsh=bTVjN2d2Z2JoM2dp
• TikToktiktok.com/@doagov_za?_t=ZM-8v1klRHcYkQ&_r=1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Department of Agriculture