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5
GRAANGIDS
2016
GRAIN GUIDE
Wheat industry
Grain SA has been negotiating a turnaround strat-
egy for the wheat industry since 2014. All the role-
players agree that this is necessary, but there is not
always consensus everywhere about how things
should be done. The ultimate goal is to improve
the profitability of the wheat industry and to be less
dependent on imports.
Demand for grain
The demand for grain and grain products, locally
and internationally, is still very big. The growing
middle class and urbanisation are the main driving
forces behind this. Grain SA is still searching for
new international markets for our producers. One
of the targets is the Middle East. Soybean produc-
tion has reached a new record and definitely offers
the north an alternative crop in a crop rotation
system. The initiative of the industry in collabora-
tion with the government to create new processing
capacity as part of our import replacement policy
definitely bore fruit.
Land reform
The land reform debate is still fierce and the un-
certainty about this has had a depressing effect on
investor confidence. Grain SA is part of organised
agriculture’s team that intends protecting the inter-
ests of our members in this regard, maintain food
security and achieve the country’s transformation
objectives. This is no small challenge.
In conclusion
Nobody can make decisions for you about what
happens on your farm. Let the market guide you
and the market will reward you for this. Make sure
your partners and support services are in place,
because they are at the spearhead of innovation
and work with the latest technology. Grain SA
will still endeavour to provide the best possible
policy environment for you to flourish. May it be
a good year!
Jannie de Villiers,
CEO: Grain SA