5
September 2014
Mind the gap
w
hen you travel on the underground trains in Lon-
don there are notices all over aswell as announce-
ments on the public address system reminding
commuters tomind the gap between the train and
the platform. Today I wish to draw attention to
someother gaps.
The first is the gap in our research community between the old
seasoned researchers and the new upcoming researchers. The old
guard are between five and eight years from retirement and the
younger ones have between five and eight years experience in the
field. We as an industry have done quite a lot to fill the bottom gap
by providing study bursaries, but there is not much of a solution to
fill thegap inbetween.
Only the other day Dr Cobus Le Roux (general manager, ARC-
Field Crops Division) boasted that the current number of staff with
doctorates is thehighest that haseverworkedat the Institute inBeth-
lehem. That is encouraging!
It is, however, also true that in spite of this, we are not yet at the
standard where the ARC was 20 years ago. Grain SA is currently
hard at work to address this gap over the medium term. There are
quite a number of exciting new plans to ensure research capacity
andquality for the future.
TheARCwill bepart of it; however, new ideas andnewpartnerships
are definitely necessary. This work is not always visible on the sur-
face, but behind the scenes things arehappening.
The other gap that I would like to touch on, is the gap between im-
port and export parity when it comes to maize. This gap is mak-
ing even the policymakers in the country nervous. Despite the
country’s potential to produce surpluses annually, there are still
government officials who are worried that we will export toomuch,
whichwill raise theprices toconsumers fromexport to import parity.
This price gap easily represents a 50% increase inmaizemeal- and
maize-based products. This is large enough to give any politician
the jitters, irrespectiveof thesizeof themajoritywithwhich theelec-
tionwaswon. This gap is the difference between food security and
adisaster. There are anumber of factors affecting this gap, but I can
assure you there aremore than just a few poultry farmerswatching
it very closely.
Lastly, I would like to comment on the gap between themandate of
the Land Bank and commercial banks. It was with great disappoint-
ment that we had to hear that the Land Bank did not have the appe-
tite for production loans to our new era commercial farmers. These
membersofGrainSAdonot have the titledeeds to the land theyare
farming and apparently are toomuchof a risk.
I have always understood that the mandate of the Land Bank was
development. If the gapbetween them (LandBank) and commercial
banks become so narrow, I fail to understandwhy the state should
be inbanking.
In themeantime there are interesting organisations that aremoving
into this gap. Input suppliers likeMonsanto, Omnia, JohnDeere and
OldMutual have almost overnight all run into this gap and are busy
financingourneweracommercial farmers. Isn’t the freemarketwon-
derful?Watch this gap!
Maybe I should close with the best known gap that we all know so
well andwhich is so close to our industry: “Twixt the hand and the
mouth, theporridge falls to theground”.
It is awarning for us all to respect if wewant tomaintain food secu-
rity in this country. If we do notmind the gaps andwork to fill them,
thenext generationwill definitelyblameus.
DSKOOSKIRSTEN
WOORD
Uit die
s
obaiemensedoen steedsallerhandedingenet omgesien te
word.Hullewil sograagdieeer kryvirdieeenof andergroot
of verdienstelike ding wat hulle gedoen het. Selfs kinders
doen baie keer dinge net sodat hulle ouers of onderwysers
of maats moet sien wat hulle doen. Hulle wag dan om die
erkenningdaarvoor te kry. Elkemenswil togop eenof andermanier
erkenword. As jygraagerkenengeëerwilword, eer dieHereen kyk
danwat gebeur.
Die Here verwag van elkeen wat sê dat hy ‘n Christen is om so op
te tree dat die Here die eer kry en nie jy nie. Jou optredemoet dus
altyddaarvangetuigdat jy ‘n kindvanGod is. Sodoende sal dieHere
die eer krywat Hygraagwil hê. As jyHomnie eer nie sal jydalk nog
deurmensegeëerword,maar beslis niedeur Homnie.
In 1Sam. 2:30 lees ons dat diéwat dieHere eer, deur Homgeëer sal
word en diegene wat Hom verag, veragtelik sal wees. Die priester
Eli het twee seuns, Hofni enPineas, gehad. Hoewel Eli gelowigwas,
was sy twee seuns glad nie. Hulle het hulle posisies as priesters
misbruik om hulleself te bevoordeel en te verryk. Eli het hulle net
liggies oor die vingers getik, maar nooit ernstig bestraf of enige
maatreëls ingestel omhulle vanhul bosedade te laat afsiennie.
DieHere het hierdie optrede van Eli gesien as dat hy sy seunsmeer
eer as die Here. Sy seuns het die Here verag en die offers wat die
volkgebringhet veragtelikgemaak indieoë vandie volk. Uiteindelik
het die Here vir Eli en sy twee seuns op dieselfde dag laat sterf.
Elkeenwat nouhierdiegedeelte indieBybel lees, dinkmet veragting
aanhulle. Hullehet veragtelik geword as gevolg vanhulleoptrede.
Wie die Here eer sal deur Hom geëer word, maar wie Hom verag
sal veragtelikwees, ook indieoëvandiewêreld. Dit isdusvir elkeen
van ons wat in Christus as Verlosser en Saligmaker glo, van die
grootste belang dat ons die Here in alles wat ons doen en sêmoet
eer. As ons dit doen, sal Hy ons eer en saammet Hom baie ander
mense. AsonsHomegter verag, sal onsnet soveragtelikword soos
Hofni enPineas.
Baie geluk aan Stoffel du
Toit van Hermanus wat
vir die Julie-uitgawe van
SA Graan/Grain
die gratis
Bybel gewenhet.
