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RELEVANT
Celebrating
20 years
of an asset well looked after
T
he Maize Trust celebrated its 20th
anniversary on 15 September last
year. Mr Leon du Plessis from L&L
Agricultural Services, who has been
the administrator of the Trust since 1999 and
who has also been adviser to the Trust since
1998, gave an overview of the Trust since
its inception at this celebratory event.
After Du Plessis’s presentation, industry
role-players had the opportunity to tell
guests what the Trust has meant to them
over the years.
From a producer’s
point of view
Mr Derek Mathews (trustee, Maize Trust)
has witnessed the event of deregulation
of the markets as a young producer in the
mid-nineties.
‘When my very first load of grain went
onto the scale, there was always an irritat-
ing levy taken off, that was used for price
stabilisation. Then came the deregulation,
where organised agriculture spent a num-
ber of years trying to avoid the free market
by writing an alternative marketing system
for the industry. I am glad that we were not
successful at that attempt, because today
South Africa has one of the best free mar-
kets in the world. When the Trust deed was
finally accepted, signed and put into effect,
we as producers felt satisfied that the asset
of the industry was protected for the future
to ensure sustainability in the industry.’
In 1999 the Trust started with an asset value
of R349 million. Today the Trust stands in
excess of R1,1 billion. Approximately 6%
of the asset value of the Trust has been
used every year and amounts up to another
R1 billion. The Trust has therefore managed
approximately R2 billion over the 20 year
period. ‘This is something we can really be
proud of,’ Mathews said.
He added that the Trust is one of the best
examples of co-operation between govern-
ment and industry. ‘The greatest piece of
wisdom the founders and the people who
ran the deed could have exercised was to
balance government and the industry repre-
sentation on an equal basis.’
Mathews is thankful to each of the trus-
tees, from inception to date, for taking this
asset and nurturing it. ‘I appeal to current
and future trustees not to drop the ball – you
have a very serious responsibility to look
after this asset,’ he concluded.
Economic environment
Mr Wandile Sihlobo (economist, Agbiz)
acknowledged that maize as a crop is the
anchor of the South African agricultural
economy. ‘Institutions like the Southern
African Grain Information Service (SAGIS),
the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Pol-
icy (BFAP) and the Southern African Grain
Laboratory (SAGL) are contributing to the
growth and sustainability of the agricultural
sector by the information they provide the
industry with,’ he said.
He further said that if one added new pro-
ducers to the industry, but there was no em-
phasis on trade and the market, there would
not be anyone to buy the maize and prices
would decrease. ‘The Trust is therefore
playing a key role in bringing in inclusive
growth, assisting service providers who
supply all the information to the industry,
creating markets and ensuring that there is
always a demand.’
Transformation
The Trust has played a critical role in trans-
formation in the maize industry and it has
started to yield results. ‘It is because of the
Trust that black farmers can compete with
their colleagues in the commercial sector
today,’ Mr Ishmael Tshiame (general man-
ager, Grain Farmer Development Associa-
tion [GFADA]), said.
One of the responsibilities of GFADA is to
showcase what the Trust is doing. ‘GFADA
is sending out a quarterly electronic news-
letter, where the success stories are shared
with amongst others, government. The
government is now working with GFADA
because of these success stories. Togeth-
er with government and the Trust we can
accelerate transformation in the maize in-
dustry.’
Industry
BFAP is one of the longest standing receiv-
ers of grants from the Trust. ‘I will categorise
the Trust as a catalyst of strategic capacity
development,’ Prof Ferdi Meyer (director,
BFAP) explained.
In 2003 personnel from BFAP visited Amer-
ica where they learned more from that
country’s capacity building in terms of mod-
elling work, policy analysis and how policy
RUTH SCHULTZ,
SA Graan/Grain
contributor
Previous and current trustees of the Maize Trust at the Maize Trust Showcase Day.
Front: Jannie de Villers (previous trustee), Penny Daly (previous trustee) and Leon du Plessis
(administrator). Back: Sandile Ndlungwane (vice-chairperson), Dr John Purchase (chairperson),
Derek Mathews (trustee), Chris Schoonwinkel (trustee) and Dr Toto Hewu (trustee).
Absent: Khanya Mahlati (trustee).
Januarie 2018