A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

THE

GRAIN AND OILSEED INDUSTRY

OF SOUTH AFRICA – A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

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PRODUCER ORGANISATIONS

Role and f§nction of

Chapter 5 deals with the establishment of Grain SA in detail,

and provides an overview of the role it played in South African

agriculture from 1999. However, it should be read against the

background that the establishment of Grain SA was preceded

by different structures and organisations that dealt with the

grain producers’ affairs.

In fact, the establishment of Grain SA was the result of the merging of a number of

those organisations. Each of them has its own interesting history, and this chapter

records the highlights of the establishment and aims, as well as a few important

events in the history of those organisations.

Each of the organisations produced special leaders who made material contributions

in the interests of grain producers in particular, but also of agriculture in general, and

helped to place the grain industry in South Africa on the road to success.

ORGANISED AGRICULTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA

The co-operatives that were established in the early 1900s were the first organisa-

tions in South Africa to look after the interests of producers. However, this repre-

sentation was limited to those producers who were members of the co-operatives

and was specifically aimed at their direct operational needs. A need therefore

arose for an organisation that could handle the general affairs of producers in the

country on an organised basis.

To a great extent this was achieved with the founding of the South African Agricultural

Union (SAAU) in 1904. Producers were represented in the SAAU through a structure

that was based on farmers’ associations.

Producers obtained membership of local farmers’ associations, and representation

in the SAAU ultimately resulted from those farmers’ associations. The manage-

FOUNDING OF AGRI SA (FORMERLY SAAU)

The need of the agricultural community to look after its interests by way of

joint action within a federal structure was identified as far back as 1896 dur-

ing the Natal Farmer Conference (now Kwanalu). At a subsequent meeting in

Bloemfontein in December 1903 agricultural producers expressed a strong

need for greater unity within the agricultural community.

At a conference held in Pretoria from 25 to 29 July 1904 this need led to

the following decision by representatives from various colonies: ‘That , in

the interest of South African agriculture, the time is ripe for establishing a

central southern African agricultural union that will be representative of all

agricultural organisations in British South Africa, and that a branch union be

established in each of the colonies, in other words the Cape Colony, Natal,

Transvaal the Orange River Colony and Rhodesia.’