Strong growth trajectory for robust macadamia industry

Valley Macadamia Chairman, Alan Sutton, attended the macadamia round table session at the World Nut and Dried Fruit Conference in Spain. Sutton gave feedback on the INC’s annual report and discussed a number of pertinent facts and figures, as well as new marketing and advertising campaigns proposed for the year ahead.

Photo used courtesy Valley Macadamias

Key statistics discussed at the round table included the growth and global supply of macadamias. Sutton was delighted to report a strong growth trajectory for the robust macadamia industry. “The generic marketing that’s been undertaken by the INC is an example of our industry body hard at work to perform expansion of our product”, said Sutton.

The forecast for 2018 is estimated at 211 101 metric tons worldwide - the highest ever global supply. South Africa will be the biggest macadamia producer with 54 000 tons followed by Australia and Kenya. Production in China will be 19 000 tons in 2018 with a set growth of 10% per annum thereafter.

The world production is classified as 70% kernel exports and 30% nut in shell exports. The kernel and nut-in-shell combined make up 70% of all products sold as snack products and 30% sold as ingredients for bakers and confectioners.

“The increase in plantings on a global scale is set to continue and hopefully this will stabilise the supply for what is seemingly an insatiable demand for macadamias worldwide”, said Sutton. The Valley Macadamia group will rise to the challenge by expanding their capacities and market capabilities to cater for the exciting new trends.

Find the Macadamia Nuts and Tree Nuts chapters in the Agri Handbook.

New support policy for farmers?

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) is working on a new support policy for farmers. The National Policy on Comprehensive Producer Development Support (NPCPDS) was presented to the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries last week. Find the draft document at http://pmg-assets.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/1/180508NPCPDS.pdf.

The Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries grilled DAFF on the document. Find the meeting report at https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/26340/. The Department "was told to go and revise the policy document".


Watch this space!

Find the Agri Handbook "Emerging farmer support" chapter here.

#Nampo - making the acquaintance

Today the Nampo show grounds outside Bothaville will be buzzing with activity as the hundreds of exhibitors prepare for the largest agricultural show in the southern hemisphere this week.

Nampo Park from the air. Photo used courtesy of Grain SA

 

I first heard of Nampo as a younger man, whist paying a visit to my parents. In the course of conversation my father related what had transpired when he had attended the Nampo Harvest Day with a number of other farmers from the district. The events related had little to do with the show itself (if one discounts the effects of seeing too many virile, prize bulls, that is!), and more to do with the escapades on the return journey.

Years passed. I had successfully floated the idea of doing an agricultural publication to colleagues in the publishing company and began work on our budding database. I was doing some phoning and when told by yet another company that the person in charge of marketing was at Bothaville preparing for Nampo it became obvious that that was where we needed to go.

I headed out from Gauteng on the Potchefstroom road and, nervous of not finding accommodation closer to Bothaville, booked into a bed-and-breakfast at Stilfontein. My destination was an hour and half away, but I was taking no chances. After unloading some belongings, I took to the road again. 

Like a first time visitor, I feared the possibility of missing the turnoff to the show and slowed down once I had crossed into the Free State province. If I reached Bothaville, I’d worked out, I would have gone too far. I need not have worried! Big air balloons featuring the logos of different companies were visible kilometres away. It was midday so that year I never experienced the morning traffic jams that stretch for some ten-fifteen kilometres, a phenomena in this rural area that is hard to believe unless you’ve attended the show itself.

Photo used courtesy of Farmer's Weekly

The many livestock greet you if you enter via the north gate, as I did that year. I walked through all the familiar farm smells of my youth, viewing the many cattle breeds. Sheep, pigs, goats and horses also enjoy a healthy presence here. It was an hour and a half later when I reached the first big hall and purchased something to eat and a bottle of mineral water. 

As I rested in the small area of shade outside, I viewed a forgotten world. My spirits were low, and this only partly from a feeling of being dehydrated. I estimated that I had covered barely a fifth of the terrain, and already had hundreds of pamphlets, publications and business cards in my satchel. I felt daunted by the size of what I was looking at and the task that lay ahead of building the planned publication. (Other "directories" that we'd been shown consisted of about four articles and some thirty pages of adverts. If you didn't advertise, you did not exist. Hardly something that a farmer would read, and not very helpful to anyone else. We had something else in mind).

The years that followed would see a small team print the National Agricultural Directory and its translation, the Nasionale Landbougids, and establish a presence at the annual show, first in the Department of Agriculture tent (our anchor partner) and then in a stand of our own. 

Our stall before 7h00 when the first of the day's visitors arrive

We did out fifth edition of the book, now called the Agri Handbook, and exhibited it for two years, 2013 and 2014. (That edition can be downloaded free under “Shop” and “The fifth edition” at http://www.agribook.co.za).

Our business model changed. Rather than the printed, nearly 700 page publication (an expensive affair!) we are moving the resource across to being a website with downloadable PDFs of the 14 volumes that together make up the book. The PDFs are printable. Hardcopies will soon be available, either from a limited print run or as print-on-demand.

Nampo 2019 should see us back again, and we look forward to reconnecting to friends and acquaintances, some of whom we have not seen for many months now. Until then, there is still plenty to do!

Find information on Nampo at http://www.grainsa.co.za/pages/nampo.

The "Agricultural shows and events" chapter of the Agri Handbook can be viewed here.

Do you really know where your used oil lands up?

Press release

Farmers, as generators of used oil are required to make sure that licensed used oil collectors remove this hazardous waste and take it to a licensed processor for responsible recycling. However, after collection, the used oil is often sold by the collector to the highest bidder, who may be an unlicensed processor, or end user.

Legally, the responsibility lies with the generator to ensure that the person who collects used oil is licensed, audited and can provide the legally required Safe Disposal Certificate and Hazardous Waste Manifest, and failure to do so can result in fines and prosecution of the generators and collectors.

Used oil still being used illegally

Bubele Nyiba, CEO of the ROSE Foundation (Recycling Oil Saves the Environment) says besides oil ending up in landfills or down drains, an ongoing problem is that some used oil generators sell their oil to “end-users” who use it for harmful practices such as burner fuel for furnaces, painting vineyard poles and fence poles as a wood preservative, or spraying of dirt roads as a dust suppressant.

“Illegal practices such as those highlighted above allow used oil to make its way into the environment. Used lubricant oil contains harmful compounds and carcinogens and one litre of used oil can contaminate one million litres of water – a fact which led it to be classified as a hazardous waste. Burning used oil before it has been recycled releases heavy metals and other harmful compounds into the atmosphere.”

Waste products being treated as a commodity

“In South Africa we have a system in place whereby the used oil collectors purchase the used oil from the generators. This model – which was pro-actively adopted many years before legislation governing the responsible recycling of waste, and the pricing of waste, was introduced - has been successful as it has given value to used oil as a waste, thereby incentivising its responsible collection. However, we now see a situation where used oil generators in South Africa are regarding their used oil as an income generating product and this has driven the price of this waste up to unsustainable levels,” says Nyiba.

It is interesting to note is that best practice in other developed countries sees used oil generators paying collectors to take away their waste, as opposed to the current South African model which is the other way around.

“Used oil generators in South Africa often sell their oil to whoever offers the highest price, regardless of the qualifications of that person. All too often we are seeing fly-by-night used oil collectors entering the industry who offer higher prices for the oil but do not take it to a registered processor for recycling - and so also cannot offer the used oil generator a Safe Disposal Certificate or a Hazardous Waste Manifest – both of which are required by law. Failure to be able to produce either of these documents if asked can result in stern penalties and even prosecution.”

“A trick that generators should also be aware of is that unscrupulous collectors will offer more per litre but will then under-declare the volumes collected (effectively stealing the oil) – thereby paying the same total that a licensed collector would have.”

Nyiba urges used oil generators to use ROSE licensed used oil collectors and processors who will come and remove the oil and take it to be recycled in an environmentally compliant and safe manner.

“Registered collectors are compelled to issue you with a safe disposal certificate,” says Nyiba.

“The safe disposal certificate issued by ROSE registered collectors also acts as a Hazardous Waste Manifest, thereby fulfilling the requirements of reporting by law.”

The Hazardous Waste Manifest explained
As used oil is a hazardous waste, generators are required to maintain the below information on a Hazardous Waste Manifest, a document that will track the used oil from cradle to grave and offer a clear snapshot on how it has been managed:

• A unique consignment identification number;
• The generator’s contact details, including the contact person, physical and postal address, phone and fax number and email address;
• The physical address of the site where the waste was generated;
• An emergency contact number;
• The origin/source of the waste (how it was generated);
• A description of the waste (waste classification and waste category)
• The physical nature / consistency of the waste (liquid, solid, sludge; pump-able, non-pump-able);
• The quantity of waste;
• Packaging (bulk, small containers, tank);
• Transport type (tanker, truck, container);
• Special handling instructions;
• The date of collection / dispatch;
• The intended receiver (waste manager).

ROSE registered collectors and processors are also compliant with all waste transportation legislation and are strictly managed and audited – further ensuring your compliance as a waste generator.

“As the source of a hazardous waste which is governed by laws and carries repercussions, used oil generators must take responsibility for what happens with their oil and must ensure it is taken away by a licensed collector to a licensed facility – and must also insist on the paper work to verify this. Don’t leave yourself open to possible fines or prosecution should you not be able to produce the proper paper trail,” concludes Nyiba.

For more information and to find out about a registered used oil collector contact the ROSE Foundation on (021) 448 7492 or visit www.rosefoundation.org.za. 

Read the "Waste management" chapter in the Agri Handbook here.