A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

THE

GRAIN AND OILSEED INDUSTRY

OF SOUTH AFRICA – A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

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At the direction of the Minister the composition of the Maize Board was left

unchanged, as were the controlled areas.

The single-channel export pools were adjusted in 1996 to permit direct exports by

international traders.

In the meantime a Maize Advisory Committee was established in 1995 as a policy-

making body for the Maize Board. This committee consisted of representatives

from all the interest groups in the industry: NAMPO, consumers, processors,

buyers and the Department of Agriculture. Although the discussions of the Maize

Advisory Committee on occasion led to great disagreement among the different

interest groups, the view was that it probably did play a significant role in making

producers aware that deregulation was unavoidable and allowing them to prepare

for it better.

Even in 1991, when formal talks on South Africa’s system of controlled agricultural

marketing started between the government, organised agriculture and the business

sector, most of the parties believed that controlled marketing was irreconcilable with

a free market for agriculture and had to end. This, together with further factors that

were mentioned briefly, and the change in the political dispensation in South Africa

in 1994, eventually led to the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act being accepted

in 1996 and – arising from this – to the abolition of the marketing councils.

Sound bite: The Maize Board sent a representa-

tive group from the industry on an overseas

tour to investigate the marketing systems of

countries with grain markets which were al-

ready deregulated – Dr Chris Wentzel.

Sound bite: The Maize Advisory Committee was

a synergy between representatives of NAM-

PO, grain buyers, the millers and consumers

– Mr Cerneels Claassen.

Sound bite: At the time communication in the

Maize Advisory Committee was structured in

an inner and outer circle – Mr Jannie de Villiers.