Political agendas: food or toilets?

June 2011

Jannie de Villiers, CEO

The recent media coverage in the run-up to the election had me dumbstruck. Each day’s debate was about another toilet. Is this the level to which our political debates have declined? Albeit that a toilet is not a bad symbol of the delivery of basic services at local government levels. The challenge after the election for an organisation like Grain SA, however, is to once again focus everyone’s attention on that what must happen before you get to the toilet – eat!

Toilets are totally unnecessary and unimportant if one does not eat. If only all politicians could perceive food in an equally serious light! The only attention that food receives on political agendas is when food prices are high or if food security is threatened.

Authorities worldwide are involved in policy changes to ensure that enough food is available for their people. It ranges from subsidies for agricultural inputs; strategic reserves; higher import tariffs to encourage local production and social networks to feed poor people. Can it be that we in South Africa are the only ones that are right in occupying ourselves with the other end of this chain? Or maybe the question should be how agriculture can also build “open toilets” to attract as much attention to the issue of food production in order for something to actually be done about it?

“Open toilets” in agriculture can only be one of three things:

Expensive food
There is sufficient evidence that high food prices draw the attention of policy makers and politicians. In 2007/2008 there were clear signs of this. The current riots in Northern Africa, the Middle East and even Mozambique, are partly evidence of this.

Too little grain
The shortage of sufficient food is something that the current generation of new South Africans have not yet experienced. There weren’t as many electronic media pictures in all manner of formats available when South Africa last experienced a real drought.

Our infrastructure and human ability to import 5 million tonnes of grain in 1992 was tested to the limits. Will we be able to achieve something similar today with the dramatic deterioration of our infrastructure?

If world demand for grains continue to stimulate the production capacity of grain; but you are already reaping record crops year after year, the world may reach a point where there just is not enough grain. Grain is not only the staple food of the world, but is also the basis for many other foods such as meat, dairy and poultry.

Food security crises
If the reaction of people when their pets are “poisoned” is taken as a gauge, we should have drawn the attention of regulators and law enforcers to protect people a long time ago. South Africa’s porous boundaries and poorly “protected” border posts against disease and dangerous importation of food is just as bad a violation of human rights as the police services’ neglect to make us feel safe.

Therefore I wonder if a serious drought (high food prices); empty shop shelves (majority of our grain exported) or food poisoning and people that die must first happen in South Africa before it will receive the necessary attention from the authorities. Then they will surely ask: “Why did you not warn us a long time ago?” It is just a thought!

Publication: June 2011

Section: Editorial