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THE
GRAIN AND OILSEED INDUSTRY
OF SOUTH AFRICA – A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
ႄႄ
improvement in the quality of agricultural products could have for producers. They
drew the attention of the producers to the value the upgrading of the quality of their
animal herds could add. They were also made aware of the existence of maize seeds
that were more drought resistant than others and encouraged to use them to increase
their production.
Naturally there were producers who realised the value of a focus on inputs
and products of high quality themselves and adjusted their farming practices
accordingly. NAMPO’s agricultual researchers collaborated with those
producers to disseminate their knowledge to other producers and thus in-
creased the general quality and levels of effectiveness. In the process working
groups were established and the information that became available from their
projects was likewise provided to other producers.
Broker service
The abolition of controlled marketing and the advent of Safex caused a lot of uncer-
tainty and mistrust among producers. Many of the producers had no knowledge of
the marketing of grain or the way Safex worked and information in this regard was
very limited. Consequently the producers were often exploited by traders, which
was reminiscent of the position before controlled marketing was introduced in
the 1930s.
Under the leadership of Dr Le Clus NAMPO offered training with respect to the
new market environment to producers. On his initiative NAMPO also decided to
establish a broker service that could acquire more knowledge on the operation of
the markets and advise producers in this regard. The broker service also had to
serve as a frame of reference with respect to prices, the availability of contracts,
commissions, costs, et cetera. for producers.
As the general knowledge on the operation of commodity exchanges like Safex
was limited, NAMPO decided to arrange a study tour to the USA to acquire more
specific knowledge on this subject. Dr Le Clus arranged the tour through a contact
”
The April 1987 edition of
Mielies/Maize
published an article about Mr Cerneels Claassen’s
neat table and explanation that he presented to Congress. It supported the argument
surrounding the proposed land conversion scheme.