Grain SA's Jannie de Villiers on government's cereal offences
Government hasn't backed 'concern' with action, says Grain SA
The minister of agriculture, Senzeni Zokwana, has told parliament he is concerned about SA's falling wheat production, but the CEO of Grain SA, Jannie de Villiers, says this is largely because of a lack of support from the department. SA, which in the 1980s was 85% self-sufficient in wheat, is growing 2.3Mt and having to import 1.7Mt annually. The industry is dying and the government needs to wake up before it is too late, De Villiers says. "If you become dependent on imports for a basic staple food like wheat it impacts on your food security. "Government needs to decide to what extent it wants to protect local wheat production." He says SA is importing about 50% of its needs. It shouldn't be importing more than 20%. Zokwana told parliament that his department is supporting wheat farmers in a range of ways, including technical advice. De Villiers says this is not quite true. "I don't know where this technical advice is. I've been 30 years in the industry and I've still to see some o...
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