Message from the Chairperson/Boodskap van die Voorsitter

Alternative solutions to land reform are essential

As spokesperson for the primary grain industry Grain SA makes an active contribution to the provision of leadership in the structures of organised agriculture and the greater agricultural sector. However, the political impact on the organisation and its business increased materially during the year under review.

Various focus points, including land reform, now involve politics, which were not part of the organisation’s core business in the past. Grain SA had to absorb the impact of this on the capacity of our structures, senior staff and other resources without diluting the core focus and outputs of the organisation.

Where the Maize Trust and Winter Cereal Trust were strongly focused on the industry until recently, for example, the proven expertise of previous trustees had to make way for ministerial appointments whose skills and experience did not necessarily include the operation of the grain industry.

The relationships between the primary grain industry and other role-players in the value chain are also under pressure at the moment. It seems as if the rest of the value chain does not necessarily bother about land reform, but rather feels that it is a challenge that mainly involves agricultural producers.

Grain SA and its structures assure the wider farming community, and the grain producers and their workers in particular, that they will participate effectively in deliberations in the interests of all rural communities.

Regular and thorough discussions with our members are vital. That is why we persevere with regional meetings throughout the grain-producing areas of our beautiful country in order to ensure that producers get the opportunity to hear what is going on and to provide inputs. It was a great privilege to receive a complete document containing land-reform proposals from one of our members at a recent regional meeting. It is and will continue to be extremely important to us to remain involved with our members at grassroots level.

Land reform

We must continue to listen to the voice of our conscience – constitutionally as well as economically – as our only point of departure for every debate. The free market and the constitutional rights of the individual must be protected to ensure an environment in which viable, profitable grain production can take place. In this way we can ensure that South Africa and all its people enjoy the privilege of food security.

Within the framework of constitutional as well as economic reality Grain SA wishes to find alternative solutions to land reform. We must also find alternative solutions to the populist approach of certain interest groups in South Africa that propose changes to the Constitution and market-driven land reform.

Corruption and our inability to work together are realities and constitute the main reasons for inadequate success with land reform. Neither the current landowners, nor the Constitution, nor the willing buyer/seller principle was ever the reason for the current impasse. The necessary success can only be achieved if Grain SA’s approach to cooperation is followed.

If the above challenge is not accepted and resolved successfully, job security and the avoidance of the daily rut of poverty will not be addressed with success. In addition, the primary activity, namely agriculture, will be undermined. This will have catastrophic socio-economic consequences like job losses, and implies the eventual destruction of wealth, which South Africa can ill afford.

Through the service that Grain SA provides to grain producers – to commercial producers as well as new entrants to grain production – we should be able to achieve the required success. The structures and the working group for farmer development in particular are already trying to assist new entrants with economically sustainable production that affects the lives of thousands.

Access to financing and production credit for new-era commercial farmers – particularly those farming on state and communal land who cannot provide security – remains a priority for Grain SA. I praise the initiative of input providers like Monsanto, John Deere and Omnia, who did ground-breaking work this year by introducing alternative financing models to the market. After the milestones Grain SA as development facilitator achieved in collaboration with developing farmers in previous seasons, it is truly a pity that apparently no funds budgeted by government were made available for recapitalisation in the year under review.

Thank you

I would like to thank every member of Grain SA for their ongoing support for the cause of the grain producer. I also raise my hat to our vice-chairpersons, Andries Theron and Victor Mongoato, the Management Committee and the Executive, who continuously represent the organisation on every level. Jannie de Villiers and the outstanding staff deserve to be honoured for their dedication and undaunted conscientiousness.

All the best

Alternatiewe oplossings vir grondhervorming is noodsaaklik

As spreekbuis van die primêre gaanbedryf lewer Graan SA 'n aktiewe bydrae tot die verskaffing van leierskap in die strukture van georganiseerde landbou en die groter landbousektor. Die politieke impak op die organisasie en sy besigheid het egter gedurende die jaar onder oorsig wesenlik vergroot.

Verskeie brandpunte, waaronder grondhervorming, bring ‘n stuk politiek mee – wat voorheen nie deel was van die organisasie se kernbesigheid nie. Graan SA moes die impak hiervan op die kapasiteit van ons strukture, senior personeel en ander hulpbronne absorbeer sonder om die organisasie se kernfokus en uitsette te verwater.

Waar die Mielietrust en Wintergraantrust byvoorbeeld tot onlangs skerp bedryfsgefokus was, moes die bewese kundigheid van vorige trustees plek maak vir ministeriële aanstellings wie se vaardighede en ervaringsveld nie soseer die werking van die graanbedryf insluit nie.

Die primêre graanbedryf se betrekkinge met ander rolspelers in die waardeketting verkeer ook tans onder druk. Dit wil voorkom asof die res van die waardeketting hul nie noodwendig steur aan grondhervorming nie, maar eerder reken dat dit 'n uitdaging is wat grotendeels op landbouprodusente afgestem is.

Graan SA en sy strukture gee aan die wyer boerderygemeenskap, en in besonder die graanprodusente en hul werkers, die versekering van doeltreffende deelname aan gesprekke in belang van alle plattelandse gemeenskappe.

Gereelde en deeglike gesprekvoering met ons lede is van uiterste belang. Daarom hou ons vol met streeksvergaderings wat plaasvind regdeur die graanproduserende gebiede van ons pragtige land ten einde te verseker dat produsente die geleentheid kry om te hoor wat aangaan en om insette te lewer. Wat 'n voorreg was dit nie om by 'n onlangse streeksvergadering 'n volledige dokument wat grondhervormingsvoorstelle bevat van een van ons lede te ontvang nie. Dit is en bly vir ons ‘n hoë prioriteit om op grondvlak by ons lede betrokke te bly.

Grondhervorming

Die stem van ons gewete, beide grondwetlik en ekonomies, moet as enigste vertrekpunt vir elke debat behoue bly. Die vrye mark en die grondwetlike reg van die individu moet beskerm word om 'n omgewing te verseker waarin lewensvatbare, winsgewende graanproduksie kan plaasvind. Sodoende is ons verseker dat Suid-Afrika en al sy mense die voorreg van voedselsekerheid kan geniet.

Binne die raamwerk van beide konstitusionele en ekonomiese realiteit is dit Graan SA se wens om alternatiewe oplossings vir grondhervorming te vind. Voorts moet ons alternatiewe oplossings kry vir die populistiese benadering van sekere belangegroepe in Suid-Afrika wat verandering aan die Grondwet en markgedrewe grondhervorming voorstel.

Korrupsie en ons onvermoë om saam te werk is 'n realiteit en is die hoofrede vir ontoereikende sukses in grondhervorming. Nie die huidige grondeienaars, óf die Grondwet, óf die gewillige koper/verkoper-beginsel was ooit te blameer vir die huidige impasse nie. Die nodige sukses sal slegs behaal word indien Graan SA se benadering tot samewerking toegepas word.

As die uitdaging hierbo nie aanvaar word en suksesvol uitgevoer word nie, sal werksekerheid en die vermyding van die daaglikse sleur van armoede nie suksesvol aangespreek word nie. Daarbenewens sal die primêre aktiwiteit, naamlik landbou, ondermyn word. Dit sal katastrofiese sosio-ekonomiese gevolge, soos werkverlies, tot gevolg hê en die uiteindelike vernietiging van rykdom beteken, wat Suid-Afrika nie kan bekostig nie.

Deur die diens wat Graan SA aan graanprodusente lewer – beide kommersieel en in soverre dit nuwe toetreders tot graanproduksie betref – behoort ons die nodige suksesse te kan behaal. Die strukture en veral die werkgroep vir landbou-ontwikkeling, poog reeds om nuwe toetreders by te staan met ekonomies volhoubare produksie wat die lewens van duisende mense raak.

Toegang tot finansiering en produksiekrediet vir nuwe era kommersiële boere – vernaamlik dié wat op staatsgronde en kommunale gronde boer en gevolglik nie sekuriteit kan verskaf nie – bly steeds 'n doelgerigte prioriteit vir Graan SA. Ek loof die inisiatief van insetverskaffers soos Monsanto, John Deere en Omnia wat vanjaar as baanbrekers begin het om alternatiewe finansieringsmodelle in die mark bekend te stel. Ná die mylpale wat Graan SA as ontwikkelingsfasiliteerder in die vorige seisoene saam met ontwikkelende produsente bereik het, is dit werklik jammer dat daar klaarblyklik geen begrote staatsfondse in die jaar onder oorsig vir herkapitalisering beskikbaar gestel is nie.

Dankie

My dank gaan aan elke lid van Graan SA vir volgehoue ondersteuning van die saak van die graanprodusent. Ek lig ook die hoed vir ons visevoorsitters, Andries Theron en Victor Mongoato, die Dagbestuur en die Hoofbestuur wat die organisasie deurlopend op elke vlak verteenwoordig. Jannie de Villiers en die uitmuntende personeelspan verdien eer vir hul toewyding en onverskrokke pligsgetrouheid.

Groetnis