5
March 2014
Wait-a-minute!
t
he other day Braam Olivier shared
the apt concept of the
blinkblaar
wag-‘n-bietjie
tree (called the com-
mon hook thorn in English) with us at
the grain value chain’s annual plan-
ning meeting. He explained that one
sometimes walks in the bush, enjoying it so
much that you do not keep an eye out for
what is happening around you. Then sud-
denly a
wag-‘n-bietjie
tree “grabs” you, just
to bring you back to your senses.
You then have to stop, take note of your
surroundings and take time to pull out
the thorns, then look ahead and again set
course to forge ahead. That set me thinking
on how we as a grain industry these past
17 years just moved ahead in the free mar-
ket “bush”. Initially we had to adjust, make
new plans and put structures in place to as-
sist us in getting though this “bush”.
The
wag-‘n-bietjie
moment for the grain
industry, however, happened last year
when the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries announced recommended
amendments to the marketing act. She defi-
nitely took the forestry thing seriously and
is now busy eradicating the free market
“bush” roots and all.
There are as yet very few indications of
what she intends to replace it with; save that
she will be the one making the decisions in
future. Those of us who knew the old con-
trolled marketing system, will surely have
a shiver or two up our spines thinking back
to a system where the minister made all the
decisions. If one had a minister who was
sympathetic towards agriculture, it might
still have worked, but my goodness, the
way it looks now, producers are definitely
going to come second. Grain SA will obvi-
ously have to give serious consideration to
what this
wag-‘n-bietjie
moment holds for
us as producers. Every thorn will have to be
removed carefully and the wounds dressed
(maybe even mend some clothes); then we
must look up and find a way forward.
There are two serious thorns I would like
to point out today: Firstly the onslaught to
replace the free market system with a con-
trol system and secondly, the efforts of the
minister to gain control over the funds in the
grain trusts.
The free market showed its mettle over the
past 17 years. There has been enough food
in the country each year. At times it was ex-
pensive due to world supply conditions, but
for the same reasons there were times when
grain was cheap. Never a shortage!
The trusts initially started off with the dream
of making additional funds available for
things such as research and to help with the
development of our new entrants into the
grain industry. Very quickly it became clear
to us that the funds rather had to be utilised
where the capacity shortages of govern-
ment had to be augmented.
There were no funds for market informa-
tion, government funding for research had
almost dried up and no contributions were
made towards the development of our
new entrants. I can hardly imagine how the
industry will be without the support of the
trusts. No SAGIS, SAGL, agricultural devel-
opment programme, research and wheat
breeding, not even mentioning the millions
of rands we have contributed to capacity
building in the ARC.
Imported wheat is tested only haphazardly
by the state and the results are not published
to ensure transparency. If the SAGL does not
do testing with the help of trust funds, we
will not even know what we are eating.
Last year with great excitement, we expe-
rienced a change when the Department of
Rural Development and Land Reform made
available large sums of money to capitalise
our developing farmers. The auditor general
came to audit the Grain SA book keeping
and was full of praise for the thoroughness
and accuracy with which we handled it.
Producers were equipped with tractors,
planters, ploughs and spraying equipment.
It was therefore with great expectation that
we submitted a new request for funding
in July 2013 to further assist the men and
women for another year to turn them into
commercial farmers.
Eventually in December 2013 we got the
answer that it was too late and that we
should rather start planning for the next
year. I wonder if the funds were suddenly
required to cover other priorities (read elec-
tions) rather than food production. One can
only think how the producers must feel who
now have implements, but do not have ac-
cess to funding to buy crop inputs. What a
disappointment!
DS KOOS KIRSTEN
WOORD
Uit die
d
aar is soveel druk op ‘n mens om te presteer. Op die
sportveld, by die werk en selfs by die kerk. So baie word
verwag en daar is so min tyd om dit te doen. Die moderne
mens jaag hom gedaan om alles wat gedoen moet word
betyds afgehandel te kry. Spertye en datums, seisoene en
geleenthede. As die oes nie betyds in is nie, beteken dit ‘n kleiner oes
en selfs ‘n verlies. As die onkruid nie betyds gespuit word nie, is daar
volgende jaar net nog ‘n groter probleem. Die seisoen en die horlosie
wag vir niemand nie.
Een van die eerste dinge wat met ‘n mens onder sulke omstandighede
gebeur, is dat jy jou oor al hierdie dinge begin bekommer. As die
situasie vererger, raak jy al hoe meer gespanne en later angstig. As
jou planne om die probleem op te los nie uitwerk nie en alles net nog
erger raak, raak jou gedagtes in ‘n warboel en draaikolk vasgevang
en voel dit asof jy in ‘n doolhof vasgekeer is. Waarheen nou?! In
Jes 30:15 sê die Here dat ons heil, ons verlossing – ook van hierdie
dinge – lê in terugkeer en rustig wees voor Hom. Ons dwaal so maklik
van die Here af weg en hardloop ons moeg agter niks aan nie. Ons is
dikwels so besig met aardse dinge dat ons nie meer tyd het om stil te
raak voor God nie. In stilwees en vertroue lê ons krag.
Israel het tydens die oorlog op perde en op hulle eie krag vertrou,
op strydwaens en krygstuig, op oorlogsgeskreeu en uitroepe. Alles
was egter aards en tydelik, verganklik en kon daarom geen uitkoms
bewerk nie. Die Here het die teendeel oor hulle gebring. Geen
oorwinning nie, maar nederlaag en vlug voor die vyand. Solank jy op
jouself of op mense en hulle planne en idees staatmaak, sal jy nie uit
die moeilikheid en gejaag loskom nie. Alles sal net nog erger word.
Raak daarom rustig en keer met hart en siel terug na die Here. Word
stil voor Hom en vertrou op Hom om jou nood en ellende te ken en te
verstaan. Hy kan uitkoms gee. Hy is in staat om te help waar niks en
niemand anders kan nie. Hy sal ook, want Jesus Christus nooi ons uit
om na Hom te kom en beloof om ons rus te gee (Matt 11:28 - 30). Hou
op om so te jaag en kom tot stilstand. Oordink alles deeglik en soek
jou rus en heil by die Here.
Baie geluk aan Roné Janse
van Rensburg van Stander-
ton wat vir die Januarie-uit-
gawe van
SA Graan/Grain
die gratis Bybel gewen het.
