Lack of Infrastructure was cited as a major contributor to high food prices during a recent media breakfast in Midrand, Gauteng. “We import 1,5 million tons of wheat a year and each shipload is between 40 000t and 50 000t,” said Agri SA’s executive director Hans van der Merwe.
“But because our silos don’t have enough storage capacity, the ship has to exit the harbour and wait for space to be created. This costs government US$90 000 (R697 000) a day. And because we don’t have the correct infrastructure, food prices are being increased unnecessarily.” V an der Merwe was addressing the media as part of an awareness campaign to help them understand how agriculture is the only industry that touches every person in the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week, “from the clothes you wear to the food you eat”.
Other speakers addressed issues such as food security and land reform and how these two are currently impacting on one another. Agri SA president Lourie Bosman said that their organisation is 100% behind government in terms of land reform, adding that there was much land available for this, but for success to be achieved, a lot needed to be done by government and the agricultural sector. “There’s no point in having land if the occupants are not going to produce from it,” he said. “To make the programme work, there should be a shared responsibility from both the government and the private sector to ensure sustained production.” – Peter Mashala and David Steynberg
Not enough anthrax effort, say farmers
Northern Cape farmers have expressed their concern over the threat of anthrax and the agriculture department’s apparent inability to deal with the disease. They said the department lacked a proper contingency plan and that no research is being done to combat the disease. James of the Ghaapse Berg Agricultural Union said farmers in the Ghaapse Berg and Douglas districts had already suffered major losses to anthrax and called on all roleplayers to get together to decide on protocol in case of future outbreaks.
Thabo Mothibi, spokesperson for the agriculture department, said the 2008 outbreak mainly affected game species and kudu in particular. About 1 300 game animals succumbed to the disease. R egarding the lack of a contingency plan, Mothibi said anthrax is a state-controlled disease under the Animal Diseases Act and regulations in case of an outbreak are clear.
“Every veterinarian’s official in the Northern Cape is responsible for the surveillance and control measures of anthrax,” he said. But Faber said these measures are inefficient. ”The fact that we don’t have research facilities means the samples are sent to Onderstepoort and we have to wait seven days for the results. he number of state veterinarians is insufficient, resulting in large numbers of animals not being inoculated.” He also highlighted the effect the disease has had on tourism and the hunting industry, saying overseas hunters will never hunt in a province under an anthrax threat. – Annelie Coleman
