Land Bank funding squeeze puts agri transformation under scrutiny

David Lupafya: the Land Bank backed black farmers, then pulled the rug

Emerging farmer Lupafya put R5.2m down on equipment, counting on Land Bank blended finance. Weeks before planting, the grant pot ran dry. What happens now?

Land Bank funding squeeze puts agri transformation under scrutiny

On 29 September, Land Bank told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Agriculture that it had temporarily paused new Blended Finance Scheme (BFS) applications after the full R325 million grant allocation provided by the Department of Agriculture for the 2026/27 financial year had already been committed. This follows a substantial funding shortfall. This has again brought into question the ability of Land Bank to fulfil its developmental mandate as…