21 / 92
19
April 2015
believes that significant progress is being made in closing the gap
between viewpoints.
This happens where the focus is on what drives investment in agri-
culture in South Africa – issues which affect all producers:
The value of land and its capital gain
The operating profit and return on investment
The tax regime which government applies to the farming sector
Any imbalance in these three key issues creates risk. We have to get
involved in narrowing “the strategic gap” between producers and
policy makers. During the panel discussion, Meyer emphasised that
the producers they meet at the imbizos are not narrow minded and
are constructively looking for solutions.
Dr Marinda Visser
Dr Marinda Visser, manager: Industry Services, Grain SA, empha-
sised that: “For research and development to be successful, we
need cooperation, especially from government.
“We need to adapt or die. Our plan is to make sure we have the
best molecular biotechnology markers and techniques available to
us to make sure that we can overcome the problems we are facing.”
The Q & A session delivered burning issues, but panel chair,
Mr Max du Preez (writer, journalist and analist), advised listeners:
“We must learn to sift through the rhetoric, calm down and listen
to the special things the minister has said today.
“We have seen other countries in Africa where emotions led
people into grabbing land without plans. We would rather see a
land reform process linked to increased production, it creates
certainty and it retains jobs. You cannot address the ills of the past
by saying the current generation has to pay. What we need now is to
be rational enough to say change has to happen; but in a way that is
sound and by which food security is guaranteed.
“Producers must beware of sensationalists. A person who says we
will grab land without compensation does not belong to the parlia-
ment I’m in.
“Misconceptions must be dealt with. If any producer believes he
is regarded in a bad light, it is not what the organisation I am in be-
lieves in.
“There has never been a meeting I’ve been in; nor do I know of any
belief within the ANC that white commercial producers are not need-
ed now or in the future.”
“
A key ingredient to land
reform remains the involvement
of the existing commercial
producers in this venture.
– John Gibbs, KwaZulu-Natal dairy producer
“
Paneelbespreking tydens Kongres
Dankie, ons waardeer julle!
24: Die paneelbesprekings is gelei deur Max du Preez (skrywer, joernalis en analis) en daar
is geleentheid gebied vir interaksie met die onderskeie sprekers en lede van die paneel deur
gesprekvoering en die aanwending van sosiale media.
25: Die volgende persone het aan die eerste paneelbespreking “Volhoubare graanproduksie tydens
grondhervorming” deelgeneem: Roelf Meyer (direkteur: In Transformation Initiative),
dr Marinda Visser, Kip Tom (produsent van Indiana, VSA) en minister Senzeni Zokwana.
26: Die tweede paneelbespreking (“Die praktiese implementering van grondhervorming”) se paneel
het bestaan uit: Schalk Pienaar (voorsitter: Agbiz), Ralph Swart (nuwe era produsent van Elim),
Andrew Makenete (direkteur: Manama Hole en Musa Capital) en Japie Grobler (voorsitter: ASUF).
27: Die voorsitter het Graan SA se personeel
bedank vir die lang ure en harde werk wat
hulle insit om die graanprodusente van die
land te dien.
28: Dr Jan Dreyer (voorheen van die LNR-
Instituut vir Graangewasse) en dr Cobus le Roux
(algemene bestuurder: LNR-Veldgewasdivisie)
het vir die 15de jaar as hoofstembeamptes by
Kongres opgetree.
24
27
28
25
26
Kongres 2015 beklemtoon
volhoubare graanproduksie gedurende
grondhervorming