Editorial
5
October 2013
MOMENTOUS ISSUES
Jannie de Villiers, Uitvoerende hoofbestuurder/CEO
werkers volgens hulle jare diens, plaas die hele
kwessie van privaat eiendomsreg met geen
vergoeding, opnuut op die tafel.
‘n Tipiese reaksie van produsente kan wees om
hul heel beste en lojaalste werkers te laat gaan
uit vrees vir sulke voorstelle. Dit sal tot almal se
nadeel wees.
Die uitdagings vir georganiseerde landbou is
reusagtig. Sou een van die twee grondplate
skuif, gaan hier beslis ‘n tsunami oor Suid-
Afrika spoel. ‘n Mens wonder net wat die groot
voedselbesighede en die land se leiers hiervan
dink. Dit is asof dit hulle nie pla nie. Weet hulle
nie, of is ons maar net te skepties oor sulke
voorstelle?
Bo-op al hierdie groot sake was dit toe weer tyd
vir die koring se differensiaal om afgekondig
te word. Die menigte e-posse en telefoonop-
roepe dui vir my daarop dat ons organisasie se
lede baie aktief is. Dit is baie gesond. Ons het
selfs oproepe van nie-lede ontvang!
Die impak en beginsel van die differensiaal is
al vir baie ure gedebatteer en beredeneer. Ek
weet nie van een hoek of draai waar ons nog
nie was nie. Hopelik sal daar goeie nuus wees
vir die koringprodusente teen die tyd dat hier-
die artikel sy verskyning maak. Om al die druk
op die verhoë en media te verwerk tot agter-
die-skerms-onderhandelinge om die strate-
giese doelwitte van die organisasie te bereik,
neem ‘n klompie vernuf en geduld.
Ons wens die wintergraanmanne en -vroue ‘n
mooi oestyd toe, veral ná die lekker reën in die
suide en mag die reën vroeg in die noorde val
vir ‘n beter somerseisoen – veral vir die manne
en vroue van die Noordweste!
T
he months of August and September
were really busy months for organised
agriculture. The reason was the many
radical recommendations and policy changes
emanating from government circles.
It was not only the speed at which these chang-
es were published for commentary, but espe-
cially the extent thereof that put pressure on
our capacity to respond. It seemed as if eve-
rything that had to be completed in the past
four years, were now to be put to bed in four
months.
It is also a matter of debate whether two
weeks for responding commentary could actu-
ally be considered as consultation with all the
role-players. These, however, are the realities
Grain SA has been confronted with the past
few months.
An indication of the high level and also the ex-
tent of the nature of these issues are the fact
that we were forced in almost all of the mat-
ters to take legal advice. Legal consultation be-
comes necessary when there is a good chance
that the difference in opinion and viewpoints of
our own leadership and that of the government
are so great that we have to prepare ourselves
for possible future legal battles in court.
Some people say “be calm, it’s only an elec-
tion year!” Grain SA sincerely hopes that they
are right come the middle of 2014, it would
however have been plain irresponsible to have
done absolutely nothing.
The issues I am referring to have to do with
what I call two tectonic plates deep under the
sea in the earth’s core upon which our econo-
my and society is built, namely the free market
and private property rights. The most recent
suggestions for changes to the marketing act
are focused on giving the Minister of Agricul-
ture more control over agriculture. Such as
control over the import and export of grains
and control over all the funds and expenses of
the agricultural trusts.
Should the minister be of the opinion that it
is election year and that food in South Africa
must be cheap for the electorate, she can pro-
hibit all maize exports and the surplus can then
depress prices of local maize allowing her to
succeed in her goal. The next year just about
nobody would plant maize because prices
would not cover their production costs; and
then grain prices will sky rocket and the agri-
cultural sector will be labelled the guilty party.
The free market has since 1997 (16 years) built
a remarkable record of ensuring food security
for South Africa.
The other tectonic plate is that of property
rights. Recommendations to accelerate land
reform and to do it more fairly, have with the
most recent round of suggestions, even start-
ed undermining the Constitution of the coun-
try. Recommendations are not tested in terms
of the Constitution and it is now the defendants
who have to prove that the recommendations
are constitutionally incorrect.
It is rather like being guilty until being proven
innocent. Minister Nkwinti’s suggestions to
distribute your land to the workers in accord-
ance with their years of service, places the
whole issue of private property rights with no
compensation, on the table yet again. A typical
reaction of producers could be to lay off their
most senior and loyal employees for fear of
such recommendations. This will be to every-
body’s disadvantage.
The challenges for organised agriculture are
huge! Should one of these tectonic plates shift,
a tsunami will most certainly wash over South
Africa. One can only wonder what the big food
manufacturers and the country’s leaders think
of this. It seems that it does not bother them.
Don’t they know, or are we just too sceptical
about such suggestions?
On top of this all it was once again time to an-
nounce the wheat price differential. The large
numbers of emails and telephone calls just
confirmed that the Grain SA members are very
active. This is very healthy. We even received
calls from non-members!
The impact and the principle of the differential
have been debated and argued for many hours.
I do not recall one aspect that has not been dis-
cussed at length. Hopefully there will be some
good news for wheat producers by the time
this editorial is in print. The ability to absorb all
the pressure in meetings and in the media and
reduce it to behind the scenes negotiations in
order to achieve the strategic goals of the or-
ganisation, takes some skill and patience.
We wish the winter grains producers a fruit-
ful harvesting time, especially after the good
rains in the south, and may the rains in the
north come early for a better summer season
– especially for the men and women of the
North Western Province!
