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5
May 2017
The truck eventually stops
in front of your door
w
ith all the developments in the political arena, it is
clear that the politicians’ balance sheet is actually
worse than that of grain growers. Junk status is a
clear message that one, measured against world
standards, has not made it.
That is what happens if you do not continually measure yourself
against what you think is the standard. In the final analysis, what
you believe is right or wrong is not important. To measure yourself
objectively is brave, but also wise.
Voter boxes, credit ratings and competitive indices are yardsticks
that make it less easy for politicians to pull the wool over our eyes.
In life there are, however, two reactions to disappointments of
this nature: Those who deny it and who act as if it does not exist
and those who take note of it and make adjustments to correct mat-
ters and improve them.
Time will tell which route the politicians in the country will take.
However, it is important to take note of their deeds and not just listen
to their words.
The grain producers of the country, however, cannot just sit on the
side-line trying to take the splinters from others’ eyes. We have
just gone through a season where it seems we also have a few
beams of our own to sort out.
Fortunately, our ability to embrace and apply new technology to
make the best of weather conditions is excellent. It is wonderful
to see how this ability is translated into tons of yield, but it seems
like we fall a bit short in the converting thereof into (junk)rands. We
are not yet at the same level of the world standard when it comes
to tons per hectare or kilograms per millimetre of rain, but we are
almost there.
With good research and good production practices we are making
good progress up this hill. The field that we will in future have to
pay more attention to, is marketing. We can also, like politicians,
blame someone else or blame market rules and capitalists, but as
is the case with President Zuma, the truck eventually stops in front
of your door.
It is quite interesting that with the swing of the pendulum (from
maize imports to maize exports) there are a few rules in the mar-
ket that suddenly now also bother the buyers. This development is
nearly like politics: New partners under new conditions.
We will work with anyone who wish to make the market a better and
fairer place. This is one expression of Prof Eckart Kassier I will never
forget: You constantly have to work on improving the market.
In this regard, I do wish to raise my proverbial hat to the JSE who
last month was brave enough to change a few rules of the game for
the wheat industry – in favour of the producers – despite the fact that
the buyers did not all agree. We will have to wait and see whether
the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will display
the same amount of courage when changes to the grading rules
are to be introduced.
I wish to encourage you to divide your time meaningfully between
new technology for production and marketing improvements dur-
ing NAMPO 2017. Talk to the traders and marketers about new
strategies.
Ask your fellow producers what worked for them and what did not
work. It is no shame to ask advice. Even the Bible encourages us to
have a large number of advisors. These past few weeks we have
seen what happens to the political leaders of our country when
they try to do things on their own and not ask advice. Come, let us
as grain producers not make the same mistakes.
Enjoy NAMPO 2017 and all the best to the producers in the south
with the new planting season.