African infrastructure development

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is looking to create a large fund to finance infrastructure in Africa, Reuters reported recently (29 May 2013). The bank estimates that Africa requires investment of $100-billion every year for a decade. Infrastructure allows for economic activity and trade among countries, and the lack of sufficient infrastructure is often cited as an obstacle for intra-African trade.

It is a vital issue within individual countries too. When food prices are high and employment levels are low, it is time to do something about infrastructure. Infrastructure and agrologistics is a chapter under the National issues section of The Agri Handbook for South Africa.

Tales from Nampo

We live in a world where much clamours for our attention, proclaiming importance and significance, putting us in the wrong or making us feel uncertain. The sought-after result is for us to back whatever and whoever the speaker is, and to hand over our money.

The issue may be very important indeed, but the challenge is to discern what has substance and what consists mostly of noise and show. You may fly the right flag (good) -- what are you really offering?

There are media and event companies in agriculture which fly the transformation flag, and pretty much empty the marketing budgets of well-meaning role players in the process. Is their contribution to the sector and to the so-called emerging farmer sector real? At Nampo, one such company came to collect a copy of The Agri Handbook for South Africa. We duly handed over a book, albeit with great reservation.

There were no such misgivings when dropping off books at the Grain SA building and meeting three members -- one person in particular -- of the team responsible for farmer development. Surely the chances of success for training a new generation of farmers are heightened by the involvement of people like this! But go meet them yourself. Do some checking up on the work they are doing. Speak to people involved on the ground and form your own opinion.

When we pronounce on the moral right of an individual or company to exist we wander into dangerous territory. More often than not, persons we praise either have a fall ahead of them or have earned their stripes elsewhere on the journey.

Yet how thrilled we are when appearance and essence are the same! It may be just one individual in the organisation, offering up his or her work from an undivided self. Agriculture -- indeed the world -- is better of for their being here.

National Development Plan (NDP) - back in the spotlight

As the name suggests, the National Development Plan (NDP) is a plan -- surprise, surprise -- to develop the nation. It identifies the challenges facing the country and sketches solutions in order to triple the economy by 2030 while reducing unemployment and inequality levels. Although it is central to the Plan, the NDP goes beyond the economy looking also at issues like national unity. Find the National Development Plan (NDP) here.

In a meeting at the Chris Hani Institute recently, attended by both Jeremy Cronin and Bobby Godsell, attention has once again been focused on the NDP. Cronin is the deputy minister for Public Works, deputy general-secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and an African National Congress National Executive Committee member.

Cronin's criticisms include:

• The negligible target for reducing inequality (from 0.7% to 0.6& on the Gini coefficient over the next 17 years). Not much of a target, is it?
• That the NDP forsees the manufacturing sector shrinking from 12% of gross domestic product to 9.6% in 2030.
• The NDP is not a state planning commission so how will the Plan be implemented?

For Cronin a broad vision needs to be built around reindustrialisation, the provision of infrastructure and the developing of skills.

Godsell, the current Business Leadership South Africa chairperson and someone well known in business circles, urged the meeting to view the Plan as a living document. The Plan was "eminently debatable".

There was agreement that a State planning entity working alongside a more independent, non-government body was a good thing. Godsell saw Government-only planning as having the tendency to be non-integrated (operating in silo's) and thus ineffective. It was good to have people not in government, thinking out of the box in addition to a State planning entity.

Both saw the NDP's planning for the long-term as a positive.

Agriculture, the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) in particular, has held the NDP as holding much promise for the country. Find the article written at the beginning of 2013 by Dr John Purchase here.

The NDP is covered in the Job creation chapter of The Agri Handbook for South Africa (in particular, see the "Ideas to promote economic growth" heading). In addition, many of the crop and livestock chapters have some reference to that particular sub-sector's potential to contribute to job creation, including the areas identified in the Industrial Policy Action Plans (IPAPs) like rooibos and organic produce.

We would like to think we are contributing to the debate.

Nampo time again

"What's Nampo?!"

Someone not familiar with the agricultural world may ask themselves this question, but for those of us who have been before it is a time of expectation, of seeing old faces and meeting new ones.

Nampo is covered in the Agricultural shows and events chapter in the Agri Handbook for South Africa 2013/14, and there are a few notes on Grain SA, the organisers, in the general Grain & oilseeds one.

Like this publication, Nampo is a gateway to agriculture in South Africa and draws mainly a farming audience from this country and beyond.

On several occasions, on having come across our publication at the show, visitors have said: "Now we can go home!" The comment is caused by the book's thorough coverage of the agricultural value chain in the country, and if you have the book or CD you can relax a bit more and enjoy the day.

Wear comfortable shoes because there is much to see and you will do a lot of walking! The event's website is www.nampo.co.za. Should you wish to look me up, you will probably find me near the ARC stalls at the PNS hall.