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CHAPTER 4
NOPO held various talks with role-players as well as with the Groundnut Forum in
order to uphold the integrity of the groundnuts seed scheme within a free-market
environment. However, the practice taught that a simple solution was not possible.
NOPO News, 1997.
ships with them. The 1998 NOPO Congress programme included an open dis-
cussion of the future of the oilseeds industry, with invitations for submissions
to the Oil Pressers Association, AFMA, the grain silo industry, Safex and Agri
Market trends. NOPO’s management committee also decided to invite the
Chairperson of NAMPO as keynote speaker to the 1998 NOPO Congress so that
a start could be made even at this Congress in February 1998 with establishing
a message of unity in the grain industry.
Visit to Minister Derek Hanekom
On 15 October 1998 a NOPO delegation visited Minister Hanekom. NOPO was
represented by Pretorius, Vermaak and Mr Basie Ntsimane. The invitation by the
Minister to provide elucidation was received at short notice and the opportunity
was used to inform the Minister about the contribution of the oilseeds industry
to the local economy, the creation of job opportunities and the supportive role of
NOPO in the industry. The opportunity was further used to inform the Minister of
the NOPO development programme.
Decision-making and mandates for unification
in the grain industry
At the NOPO Congress in February 1998, the NOPO Executive was granted a
unanimous mandate to continue with consultations with NAMPO and other
industry organisations in order to establish a single service provision structure
for grain producers.
The management committees of NOPO and NAMPO convened at Bothaville on
19 August 1998 to reflect on key elements to ensure the success of themerger. During
these discussions it was confirmed that both the NOPO and NAMPO Congresses
had given mandates for them to continue with a discussion on unification.
Good attitudes between the leadership of NOPO and NAMPO made positive talks
possible. However, NOPO and NAMPO were two totally independent organisations,
each with their own culture and focus areas, due to the different crops they served.
It remains a compliment to the leadership at the time that they could bridge
the differences.
To the NOPO management committee it was essential that the model of
co-operation initially and later merging should retain the principle of specialist
servicing of the respective grain and oilseeds crops. Within the NAMPO group