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CHAPTER 2
At the Maize Board’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 1985 it was described as an
indispensable link between producers and consumers. It was described as follows:
‘If it closes its doors tomorrow, South Africa would go hungry within a few days’.
However, it was clear even at that stage that the Maize Board would have to follow
an adaptable approach and be open to change in order to provide a more market-
oriented system for maize marketing. Some of the challenges for the Maize Board
were to make sufficient information available in such a market environment that
producers could align their production with market needs and reduce the cost of
handling, storing and distributing maize. In addition, it had to plan for the future
expected demand for maize, given South Africa’s changeable weather patterns
and rainfall, the expected increase in population numbers, diversification on maize
farms, an increase in productivity and other factors that could affect the production
of maize.
During April 1997 all the maize transactions in which the Maize Board was involved
were concluded, and on 30 April 1997 the Board ceased all its operating activities.
The Board continued until 2007 to manage outstanding matters, mainly involving
court cases, the selling of its assets and settling of pools.
With the final settlement of the export pool for the 1996/1997 season an amount
of R88,036 million was paid out on 14 August 1997 to maize producers who had
delivered maize to the export pool. This was the final payment by the Maize Board to
producers and that also concluded the Board’s commodity affairs.
Other products
In the course of time the Maize Board also provided assistance with respect to the
marketing of other agricultural products like sorghum (until 1986), potatoes and
dry beans (until January 1986), and buckwheat.
Buckwheat was administered in a single-channel pooled system from 1969 at the
request of the former Eastern Transvaal Co-operative. As in the case of maize, the
system applied to buckwheat that was produced in certain defined areas, although
virtually no buckwheat was produced outside those areas in any case. The single-
channel pooled system offered buckwheat producers the benefit of exporting their
crop over a longer period. This offered the opportunity to manage the marketing
so that favourable market prices could be utilised. Virtually the total buckwheat
production, except the seed portion, was exported, mainly to Japan and France.
The Maize Board marketed buckwheat on this basis until it was dissolved, but
potatoes and dry beans were marketed only until January 1986.
Sport promotion.
Advertising.
The transport of maize, buckwheat and sorghum.