Terugblik en strategiese oogmerke
Review and strategic objectives
1. JANNIE DE VILLIERS
Chief Executive Officer
Uitvoerende Hoofbestuurder
2. JOHAN LOXTON
Manager: Commercial Services
Bestuurder: Kommersiële Dienste
3. JANE MCPHERSON
Manager: Farmer Development
Bestuurder: Ontwikkelende Landbou
4. NICO VERMAAK
Manager: Corporate Services
Bestuurder: Korporatiewe Dienste
5. WILLEM VOOGT
Manager: Marketing and
Financial Services
Bestuurder: Bemarking en
Finansiële Dienste
6. DR MARINDA VISSER
Manager: Industry Services
Bestuurder: Bedryfsdienste
7. NITA VAN DER MERWE
Secretary to the CEO
Sekretaresse van die UHB
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
‘n Nuwe landbouklimaat het
aangebreek
‘n Dwarssnit
van die Suid-Afrikaanse graanbedryf se
verloop sedert 1970 sal aantoon dat die bedryf se jaarringe
gevorm is deur spesifieke gebeurtenisse wat telkens ‘n nuwe
tydvak ingelui het. Anders as in die verlede het die bedryf
in die afgelope jaar ‘n nuwe ontwikkelingsfase betree,
waarvan die oorgangspunt nie absoluut en gedefinieerd
was nie, maar vaag.
Die destydse transformasie na ‘n gedereguleerde
bemarkingsomgewing in 1997, eenwording van die
graanbedryf in 1999 of die hoofkantoorskuif van
Graan SA na Pretoria in 2011 was elkeen ‘n duidelike
waterskeidingsmoment. Gesamentlik beskou, stip ‘n lys
van omstandighede egter die oorgangspunt na ‘n nuwe
landbou-era uit en dit bring die besef dat die klimaat fisies
en psigies verander het. Vir landbou in Suid-Afrika is dit dus
nie meer besigheid soos altyd nie.
Die aanvoelbaarheidstemperatuur van dié nuwe golf
is in die volgende aspekte sigbaar:
► Die droogte, gevolglike druk op toegang tot produksie-
finansiering asook die fisiese klimaatsverandering.
► Verhoogde staatsinmenging met behulp van nuwe
wetgewing, grondhervorming en voorgestelde
veranderinge aan die Landboubemarkingswet.
► Verlangsaming in die ekonomie en verswakking
van die randwaarde.
► Voortgesette finansiering van Graan SA deur die
graantrusts is onseker.
► Die koringbedryf se herlewing word geknel deur
toutrekkery van rolspelers in die bedryf.
► Betrekkinge met landboubesighede is aan die verander.
► Positiewe winde van verandering en vernuwing in Agri SA.
Met Kongres 2016 wil Graan SA die pad vorentoe
help karteer, want ons glo daar is hoop vir die toekoms,
hoewel ons onsself hiervoor sal moet rat. Nuwe realiteite
vereis nuwe benaderings, nuwe vennootskappe en
nuwe oplossings. Aan die een kant is daar bedreigings
en onsekerhede, maar daar is tog ook hoop geleë in
nuwe navorsing en planne om die negatiewe realiteite
in positiewe oplossings te omskep.
Plaasvlak
Produsente sal hul boerderybeplanning moet herevalueer,
want selfs op plaasvlak is dit nie meer besigheid soos altyd
nie. Waar produsente in die verlede groot spronge moes
maak om hul boerderyondernemings met veranderings
te belyn, vereis die nuwe klimaat kleiner treë, maar met
groter intensiteit.
‘n Onlangse opname deur Dr Hendrik Smith van Graan SA
in samewerking met ‘n Kanadese navorser het getoon
dat bykans 40% van ons kommersiële produsente reeds
bewaringslandbou in een of ander vorm aktief toepas.
Die syfer is ‘n getuigskrif vir die aanpasbaarheid van ons
produsente. Datawetenskap (
data science
) bied die
uitdaging om beskikbare landboudata om te skakel in
bruikbare inligting wat op plaasvlak aangewend kan word.
Soos met die bekendstelling van wisselboupraktyke, vrye
graanmarkbeginsels en bewaringslandbou, is Graan SA
reeds besig om hierdie wetenskap te bekyk sodat ons
ons lede met kundigheid kan adviseer.
Graanbedryf
Die droogte sal na verwagting ‘n herprioritisering van
die staat se investering in infrastruktuur teweegbring ten
einde die infrastruktuurkrisis aan te spreek. Hawefasiliteite
sal aangepas of verbeter moet word om verhoogde
graaninvoere en -uitvoere te ondersteun.
In die komende jaar sal die impak van die 2016-droogte
moontlik daartoe lei dat produksielenings nie algemeen
beskikbaar gaan wees nie aangesien heelwat produsente
se likiditeit onder druk gaan wees.
Georganiseerde landbou
Klimaatsverandering bring mee dat georganiseerde
landbou sy vennote voortaan in ‘n ander verband gaan
beskou. Insetverskaffers wat in die vorige era as ‘n borg vir
landbou opgetree het, gaan ongetwyfeld nader aan ‘n
organisasie soos Graan SA beweeg om op bedryfsvlak
deur middel van befondsing betrokke te raak.
Vryemark
Gegewe die genoemde fisiese en psigiese faktore, is
die vryemark beslis onder druk terwyl ‘n reeks beoogde
regeringsintervensies die ruimte verklein waarbinne pro-
dusente kan opereer. Ek merk hier ‘n dualisme van fisiese
klimaatsverandering wat die speelveld vir produsente groter
maak terwyl verskeie beoogde intervensies dreig om die
vryemark aan bande te lê. Dit wil voorkom asof die politieke
motief is om landbou as ‘n voertuig te gebruik eerder as
die vryemark wat die landbou as voedselprodusent en
werkverskaffer gebruik.
‘n Nuwe era van grondhervorming is dus op die sakelys. Die
dreigende beheerwolke waaroor die staat gereeld geluide
A new agricultural climate
is in force
A cross section
of the course of the South African
grain industry since 1970 will show that the annual rings of
the industry were formed by specific events that time after
time heralded a new period. Unlike in the past, the industry
entered a new phase of development in the past year,
yet the transition point was not absolute and defined,
but vague.
The transformation from a deregulated marketing
environment in 1997, the unification of the grain industry
in 1999, and the moving of the Grain SA head office
to Pretoria in 2011 were all clear watershed moments.
However, viewed as a whole, a list of circumstances marks
the transition to a new agricultural era and results in the
realisation that the climate has changed – physically and
mentally. To agriculture in South Africa it is therefore no
longer business as usual.
The sensible temperature of this new wave can be
identified from the following aspects:
► The drought, subsequent pressure on access to
production financing, and the physical climate change.
► Increased government interference through new
legislation, land reform and proposed amendments to
the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act.
► Slowdown in the economy and weakening of the value
of the rand.
► Continued financing of Grain SA by the grain trusts is
uncertain.
► The revival of the wheat industry is hampered by
squabbling among the role-players in the industry.
► Relations with agricultural businesses are changing.
► Positive winds of change and innovation at Agri SA.
Grain SA would like to help map out the road ahead with
Congress 2016, because we believe there is hope for the
future. However, we will have to gear ourselves for this.
New realities demand new approaches, new partnerships
and new solutions. On the one hand there are threats and
uncertainties, but there is hope in new research and plans
to convert the negative realities into positive solutions.
Farm level
Producers will have to re-evaluate their farm planning,
because even at farm level it is no longer business as usual.
In the past, producers had to make great leaps to align
their farming operations with changes. The new climate
demands smaller steps, but with greater intensity.
A recent survey by Dr Hendrik Smith of Grain SA, in
collaboration with a Canadian researcher, showed
that almost 40% of our commercial producers are
already actively implementing conservation agriculture
in one or other form. The figure is a testimonial to the
adaptability of our producers. Data science offers the
challenge of converting available agricultural data to
usable information that can be employed at farm level.
Like with the introduction of crop rotation practices, free
grain market principles and conservation agriculture,
Grain SA is still studying this science so that we can
provide our members with expert advice.
Grain industry
The drought is expected to lead to a reprioritisation of
the state’s investment in infrastructure in order to address
the infrastructure crisis. Harbour facilities will have to be
adapted or improved to support increased grain imports
and exports.
In the year ahead the impact of the 2016 drought will
possibly lead to production loans not being readily
available, as a number of producers’ liquidity will
be under pressure.
Organised agriculture
Climate change means that organised agriculture will view
its partners in a different context in future. Input providers
who acted as sponsor for agriculture in the previous era will
undoubtedly move closer to an organisation like Grain SA
to become involved at industry level through funding.
Free market
Given the physical and mental factors mentioned, the
free market is definitely under pressure, while a series of
proposed government interventions reduce the space
within which producers can operate. Here I note a dualism
of the physical climate change enlarging the playing field
for producers, while several proposed interventions threaten
to curb the free market. It seems that the political motive
is to use agriculture as a vehicle rather than the free
market which employs agriculture as food producer
and job creator.
A new era of land reform is therefore on the agenda.
The threatening clouds of reform about which the state
is regularly making noises – including land ceilings, the
50/50 concept of ownership and the proposed Spatial
4
5
