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13
Chief Executive Officer’s review
and strategic objectives
Uitvoerende Hoofbestuurder se
terugblik en strategiese oogmerke
Expropriation debate drives emotions to a head
Onteiening dryf emosies op die spits
Die verslagtydperk van hierdie jaarverslag – Oktober 2017 tot
September 2018 – kan beskryf word as ’n uiters intense en
emosionele jaar vir die graanbedryf – en vir die landbousektor in geheel.
’n Kombinasie van pryse en klimaat het ’n unieke stel omstandighede vir
produsente tafel toe gebring.
Weerstoestande wat in die verslagtydperk geheers het, het weer
eens die groot diversiteit van ons land se klimaat beklemtoon. Van
mooi oeste in die ooste, na verbrande vroeë mielies in die weste tot ’n
verdorde Wes-Kaap, is waarmee ons in dié jaar gekonfronteer is.
In 2017 het die waterkrisis in die Wes-Kaap ernstige afmetings
aangeneem. Met die druk op damvlakke weens ’n droogteramp, was
daar lanklaas soveel onsekerheid oor hoe produsente die seisoen gaan
deurleef sonder water. Intussen is rekordoeste in die noorde van die
land in die tydperk aangeteken te midde van teleurstellende graanpryse.
Die politieke aanvoelbaarheidstemperatuur was moontlik die felste
wat ons nog in ’n demokratiese bestel in hierdie land voor ’n nasionale
verkiesingsjaar ervaar het. Debatte oor grondhervorming het ook diep
emosies opgewek. Sedert die ANC-konferensie in Desember 2017
en die bedanking van president Jacob Zuma vroeg in 2018, het die
euforie van die aanstelling van Cyril Ramaphosa as president spoedig
sy glans verloor ná die Parlement se daaropvolgende aanvaarding van
’n mosie rakende onteiening van grond sonder vergoeding.
Die maande wat op ons Kongres in Maart gevolg het, was ’n tyd
waarin grondhervorming bo-aan die sakelys was. Dit het verloop soos
uiteengesit in
Tabel 1
op bladsy 14.
Gegewe die organisasie se fokusareas van winsgewendheid, mense
en omgewing, moes die werksaamhede van die organisasie egter
normaal voortgaan en Graan SA moes sy strategie en toewysing van
hulpbronne hiervolgens aanpas. Hier volg ’n samevatting van hoogte-
punte uit die 2017/2018-verslagjaar:
Strategiese fokusarea: Winsgewendheid
Onteiening sonder vergoeding
Dat Graan SA daadwerklik aan die gronddebat moes deelneem, was
’n gegewe na aanleiding van die besluit oor grondhervorming wat tydens
Kongres geneem is. Ons is betrek in vele gesprekke, dinkskrums en
interaksies oor die onderwerp, voor en agter die skerms.
Kwaliteit van insette
Verskeie Graan SA-lede is vanjaar bygestaan met geskilbeslegting
oor die gehalte van saad, landbouchemikalieë, kunsmis, BTW en die
dieselkorting. Die versekering rakende die kwaliteit van insetmiddele
is ’n deurlopende moniteringsaksie. Dit word in samewerking met
organisasies soos die Misstofvereniging van Suider-Afrika (Fertasa),
CropLife, Suid-Afrikaanse Landboumasjinerie-assosiasie (SALMA) en
die Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Saadorganisasie (SANSOR) uitgevoer.
Met goeie samewerking deur die Departement van Landbou, Bosbou
en Visserye, is die
kunsmismoniteringprojek
weer van stapel
gestuur. Al die kunsmismaatskappye wat deelgeneem het, is agterna
besoek en die resultate is met hulle bespreek.
The reporting period for this annual report – October 2017 to
September 2018 – can be described as an extremely intense
and emotional year for the grain industry, and for the agricultural sector
as a whole. A combination of prices and climate placed a unique set of
circumstances on the table for producers.
The weather during the reporting period once again emphasised
the great diversity of the climate in our country. This year we had to
face beautiful harvests in the east, scorched early maize in the west,
and a parched Western Cape.
In 2017 the water crisis in the Western Cape reached alarming
proportions. With the pressure on dam levels because of the disastrous
drought, uncertainty about how producers would survive the season
without water was the highest in years. In the meantime, record harvests
in the north of the country were recorded during the period, in the midst
of disappointing grain prices.
The political sensible temperature was perhaps the highest we have
yet experienced before a national election year in a democratic dispensa-
tion in this country. Debates on land reform also awoke deep emotions.
After the ANC conference in December 2017 and the resignation of
President Jacob Zuma early in 2018, the euphoria of the appointment of
Cyril Ramaphosa as president soon lost its lustre with the acceptance of a
motion on the expropriation of land without compensation by Parliament.
In the months following our Congress in March, land reform was at
the helm of the agenda. It developed as set out in
Table 1
on page 14.
Given Grain SA’s focus areas of profitability, people and the
environment, the activities of the organisation had to continue as
usual and Grain SA had to adjust its strategy and application of
resources accordingly. Below is a summary of highlights from the
2017/2018 reporting year:
Strategic focus area: Profitability
Expropriation without compensation
Because of the resolution on land reform adopted during Congress, it
was a given that Grain SA would participate actively in the land debate. We
were involved in numerous discussions, think tanks and interactions on the
topic – in front of and behind the scenes.
Quality of inputs
This year, several Grain SA members were assisted with dispute
resolution concerning the quality of seed, agrochemicals, fertiliser,
VAT and the diesel rebate. Ensuring the quality of input resources is an
ongoing monitoring action. This is done in collaboration with organisa-
tions like the Fertiliser Society of Southern Africa (Fertasa), CropLife,
the South African Agricultural Machinery Association (SAAMA) and the
South African National Seed Organisation (SANSOR).
With good co-operation by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries, the
fertiliser monitoring project
was launched
once again. All the fertiliser companies who participated were
subsequently visited and the results were discussed with them.