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CHAPTER 1
Sound bite: The import of maize from America
in 1992 – Mr Vic Mouton.
In 1995 the Maize Board entered into an agreement with the Institute for Land, Cli-
mate and Water of the ARC to conduct research on the use of satellite technology
to demarcate and number cultivated maize fields in the maize producing areas.
The total area that had to be measured covered about 69 million hectares. The
technology would also be used to make a more accurate crop estimate and collect
other important agricultural information. At the time it was described as one of the
biggest agricultural events of the time.
During October 1996 producers were advised not to plant maize on their poorer
fields, as the Maize Advisory Committee (MAC) pointed out in October 1996 that
there was a surplus of white maize in South Africa and no marketing scheme for the
next season existed yet. In addition, international maize prices showed a declining
trend and there was a risk that the surplus production would have to be sold at a
loss or exported.
Shortly afterwards, in November 1996, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Derek Hane-
kom, announced that no floor-price systemwould apply in the coming season, which
also implied that there would be no stabilisation levy. The result was that the produc-
ers had no protection against falling prices.
IN 1991, WHEN ‘POLITICS HAD ALREADY
STARTED TO CHANGE’, AS MR VIC MOUTON,
ONE OF THE CHAIRPERSONS OF THE MAIZE
BOARD, CALLED IT, PRODUCERS IN PRETORIA
ARRANGED A STRIKE. IT WAS NOT CLEAR
EXACTLY WHAT THE MOTIVE BEHIND IT
WAS OR WHO ORGANISED IT, BUT THE
RELATIVELY COMMON VIEW WAS THAT
IT WAS MORE OF A POLITICAL NATURE. A
DAILY NEWSPAPER AT THE TIME REPORTED
THAT ABOUT 1 000 VEHICLES (MOST OF
WHICH WERE TRACTORS AND TRUCKS)
WERE PARKED IN THE STREETS IN THE CITY
CENTRE OF PRETORIA, WHICH TOTALLY
PARALYSED THE TRAFFIC IN THE CITY. THE
CITY CENTRE WAS DECLARED AN UNREST
AREA AND ACCORDING TO THE ARTICLE
ABOUT 120 OF THE 5 000 PRODUCERS
PARTICIPATING WERE ARRESTED. THE STRIKE
WAS ENDED AFTER A SUPREME COURT
ORDER WAS OBTAINED, ORDERING THE
PRODUCERS TO REMOVE THEIR VEHICLES.
