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18
Jaarverslag 2018
annual report 2018
Die
Klimaatveranderingskonsortium
gebruik tans nuwe mielie
kiemplasma om die hitte- en droogteverdraagsaamheid van Suid-
Afrikaanse kultivars te verhoog. ’n Nuwe projek om klimaatsrisiko’s
vir mielieproduksiegebiede te voorspel, word tans bekend gestel.
’n Ooreenkoms is met die
Universiteit van Pretoria
gesluit met die
in-tensie om gesamentlike navorsing in ’n
Afrika-navorsingsentrum
uit te voer. Dit is ’n betekenisvolle tree na die toekoms van navorsing
in die graanbedryf en vorm ’n integrale deel van ons netwerk van
navorsingsplatforms.
Graan SA se
navorsingskontrak
met die
DWT
is vanjaar hernu.
Bewaringslandbou
Graan SA se
Boere-innoveringsprogram
vir Bewaringslandbou het
sy vyfde seisoen agter die blad en goeie momentum is reeds in die sesde
seisoen opgebou. Daar is vanjaar begin om bekommernisse oor buiten
sporige hoë gronddegradasiekoerse, winsgewendheid en armoede in
graanproduserende gebiede te ondersoek. Bewusmaking van bewarings
landbou word aktief voortgesit. Hieronder tel ons betrokkenheid by BL-
konferensies op Reitz en Ottosdal, die nasionale Land Care-konferensie,
die Afrika-bewaringslandboukonferensie, verskeie boeredae, tydskrifar-
tikels en die ontwikkeling van ’n reeks video’s,
Shepherds of the Soil
.
Interaksie met lede
Ons lede is in die afgelope jaar op verskeie vlakke gediens. Benewens
die Kongres in Maartmaand, is 37 inligtingsvergaderings op streekvlak
aangebied asook vyf ander produsent-inligtingsdae en verskeie optredes
by vergaderings, kongresse, Nasie in Gesprek en streekskoue.
Bedryfsake: Graan SA
Ten spyte van uitdagende ekonomiese toestande, kon Graan SA
daarin slaag om ’n begrote tekort van R3,9 miljoen om te keer na ’n
surplus van nagenoeg R2,1 miljoen. Die
positiewe resultaat
word
toegeskryf aan ’n kombinasie van addisionele inkomste waarvoor
nie begroot is nie en kostebesparings. Die bemarkingspan se goeie
prestasie met die invordering van heffingsfondse het ’n bydrae gele
wer. Ek kan nie nalaat om erkenning te gee aan die sterk ondersteu
ning deur ons vennote tot die projekte en dienste in dié afdelings wat
ons kernbesigheid hanteer nie.
Graan SA neem gematigde risiko’s wat beleggings betref. Ons
beleggings het weens die afkoeling in die markte en die kwaai
wisselkoersdruk
nie presteer soos wat ons voorsien het nie.
’n Ongekwalifiseerde ouditverslag
is vir die Graan SA Groep en
Landbou-ontwikkeling se Jobs Fund-projek deur Pricewaterhouse
Coopers uitgereik. Prosedures en maatreëls word nagekom ten einde
ons finansies met goeie korporatiewe beheer kerngesond te hou.
Die volledige oorskakeling na die
NAV-stelsel
het besondere uitda
gings aan ons finansiële span gestel, maar hulle het die verantwoorde-
likheid opgeneem en die implementering suksesvol afgehandel.
Die nuwe funksionaliteite, toegang tot bestuursinligting en sentrale
databasis-hantering is maar enkele voordele wat die nuwe stelsel bied.
Graan SA het die gehalte en koste van alle IT-verwante diensverskaf-
fers ondersoek om te verseker dat die kostedoeltreffendste en toe
paslikste oplossings op alle vlakke gebruik word. Die
IT-ondersteu
ning en infrastruktuurdienste
is in Maart 2018 aan Hambisana
oorgedra. Benewens die normale bedryfvoeringsvereistes het die
verskaffer NAMPO 2018 as vuurdoop met vlieënde vaandels geslaag.
’n Vaardigheidsontwikkelingsplan
is deur Graan SA by die Agri-
SETA ingedien. Die ontwikkeling en bemagtiging van alle personeel
word aangespreek met verskillende opleidingsgeleenthede en
kursusse. Van die personeel het in die jaar onder oorsig blootstelling
gekry aan ’n internasionale kongres oor genoommodifikasie in Parys,
Frankryk. Die Internasionale Graanraad-vergadering is in Londen
bygewoon en die Argentynse weergawe van die NAMPO Oesdag,
die Expoagro, is op uitnodiging besoek.
The
Climate Change Consortium
is currently using new maize
germ plasma to increase the heat and drought tolerance of South
African cultivars. A new project for predicting climate risks for maize
production areas is being introduced.
An agreement was concluded with the
University of Pretoria
to
carry out joint research in an
African research centre
. This is a
significant step towards the future of research in the grain industry
and constitutes an integral part of our network of research platforms.
Grain SA’s
research contract
with the
DST
was renewed this year.
Conservation agriculture
Grain SA’s
Farmer Innovation Programme
for Conservation Agricul-
ture completed its fifth season and good momentum has already been de-
veloped in the sixth season. A start was made this year with investigating
concerns about excessively high soil degradation rates, profitability and
poverty in grain-producing areas. Awareness of conservation agriculture
is actively promoted. These efforts include involvement in CA conferences
at Reitz and Ottosdal, the National Land Care Conference, the Africa
Conservation Agriculture Conference, various farmer days, magazine
articles, and the development of a video series,
Shepherds of the Soil
.
Interaction with members
Our members were serviced at various levels over the past year.
In addition to Congress in March, 37 information meetings were
convened at regional level, as were five other producer information
days and several presentations at meetings, congresses, Nation in
Conversation and regional shows.
Commodity matters: Grain SA
In spite of challenging economic conditions, Grain SA managed to
reverse a budgeted deficit of R3,9 million to a surplus of roughly
R2,1 million. The
positive result
is attributed to a combination of
additional income that was not budgeted for, and cost savings. The
marketing team’s good performance with the collection of levy funds
contributed to this. I have to acknowledge the strong support by
our partners for the projects and services in those divisions that
handle our core business.
Grain SA takes moderate risks as far as investments are concerned.
Because of the cooling down of markets and the major
pressure on
the exchange rate
, our investments did not perform as expected.
An unqualified audit report
was issued by PricewaterhouseCoopers
for the Grain SA Group and Farmer Development’s Jobs Fund
Project. Procedures and measures are followed in order to keep our
finances sound with good corporate governance.
The complete changeover to the
NAV system
posed special chal-
lenges to our financial team, but they accepted the responsibility and
the implementation was completed successfully. The new functionali-
ties, access to management information and handling of the central
database are a few of the benefits offered by the new system.
Grain SA benchmarked the quality and costs of all IT-related service
providers to ensure that the most cost-effective and appropriate
solutions are used at all levels. The
IT support and infrastructure
services
were transferred to Hambisana in March 2018. In addition
to the normal operating requirements, the suppliers passed the
NAMPO 2018 baptism of fire with flying colours.
A skills development plan
was submitted to the AgriSETA by
Grain SA. The development and empowerment of all staff are
addressed with various training opportunities and courses. During
the year under review, some of the staff were exposed to an inter-
national congress on genome modification in Paris, France. The
International Grains Council meeting was attended in London, and
we were invited to attend the Argentinian version of the NAMPO
Harvest Day, the Expoagro.