According to a statement released by Agbiz, chairperson Schalk Pienaar said the decision to withdraw was not due to a vote of no confidence or conflict of principle.
“Agbiz believes that functional unity at primary agriculture level needs to manifest itself stronger in greater structural unity in future. Agbiz will in future co-operate with primary agriculture on matters of common interest, since all farmers are essentially clients of the agribusinesses and agribusinesses have a vested interest in their general well-being,” said Pienaar.
Agbiz members indicated that they wanted the company to look after their specific interests, and not get caught up in primary agriculture issues. “Agbiz has played a major role in establishing ASUF by providing the secretariat and leadership, but the increased operational demands have overburdened Agbiz, which itself has limited personnel capacity. Agbiz fulfilled its obligations up until the ASUF Plenary on 8 July 2014,” said Pienaar.
