Agri SA herbevestig sy verbintenis om mee te doen aan die ontwikkeling van toepaslike en haalbare Swart Ekonomiese Bemagtigingsmikpunte en programme vir die landbou. Agri SA en sy lede sal ook meedoen aan die implementering van die sodanige programme in belang van n landbou wat gelyke geleenthede vir deelname bied en terselfdertyd sy volle bydrae tot welvaartskepping lewer.
Hierdie verbintenis van Agri SA is reeds vervat in die 2001 Strategiese Plan vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Landbou wat onder andere uitgangspunte vir toekomstige Swart deelname in die bedryf neerlê. Met dit as vertrekpunt het Agri SA insette gelewer in n regeringsproses wat met die ontwikkeling van die Agri SEB (Agri Swart Ekonomiese Bemagtiging) dokument gevolg is.
Die Agri SEB dokument wat op 27 Julie 2004 vrygestel is verskil in wesenlike opsigte van die voorbereidende dokument waarmee Agri SA vertroud is. Derhalwe het Agri SA en sy lede tyd nodig om dit te evalueer alvorens in diepte kommentaar daarop gelewer kan word. Hierdie gewysigde dokument en mikpunte was vir Agri SA as n sosiale vennoot tot die Strategiese plan vir Suid-Afrikaanse Landbou n verrassing omdat ons die verwagting het dat verreikende voorstelle van hierdie aard onderling beredeneer sou word voor die vrystelling daarvan vir breër kommentaar en insette.
Van die uitgangspunte en voorstelle in die dokument wat in die opvolgende onderhandelingsproses uitgeklaar sal moet word, sluit die volgende in:
Die vlak en haalbaarheid van grondhervormingsmikpunte, bestuursdeelnamemikpunte, opleidingsmikpunte en eienaarsbelang mikpunte;
Die koste en spesifieke verantwoordelikheid met die bekostiging van die tersaaklike programme.
Die wenslikheid daarvan om grondhervorming n integrale deel te maak van Agri SEB.
Die definiëring van die landbou-waardeketting.
Die wenslikheid daarvan om agri-besighede en die primêre landbou op geïntegreerde wyse in hierdie handves te hanteer.
Verpligtinge en verbintenisse rondom aankope van en sake met bemagtigingsbesighede.
Omdat die haalbaarheid van sekere voorstelle en mikpunte betwyfel word, gegewe markrealiteite en kapasiteitsbeperkings in die owerheid- en privaatsektor, het Agri SA kommer dat die dokument enersyds verwagtinge gaan skep en frustreer maar ook tot onsekerheid by bestaande rolspelers kan lei.
Die sukses van die bemagtigingsprogram hang grootliks af van konsensus met sosiale vennote oor strewes, die haalbaarheid van mikpunte en onderskeie verantwoordelikhede.
Die onderhandelingsproses die volgende paar maande moet dit bevredigend ondervang. Agri SA sal die onderhandelingsgeleentheid ten beste benut om om te sien na die legitieme belange van bestaande rolspelers in die bedryf maar ook die van nuwe toetreders, in die beste belang van die landbou en die ekonomie in die algemeen.
Navrae: Mnr Japie Grobler; Agri SA President
082 825 8018
Mnr Hans van der Merwe, Agri SA Uitvoerende Direkteur
082 388 0001 of 012-322 6980
| AGRI SAS COMMENT ON AGRI BEE |
Agri SA reconfirms its commitment towards participating in the development of suitable and achievable Black Economic Empowerment goals and programmes for agriculture. Agri SA and its members will also contribute towards the implementation of programmes that promote equal opportunities for participation, acknowledging the challenge that it should also support the full realisation of agricultures economic contribution.
This commitment of Agri SA has already been included in the 2001 Strategic Plan for South African Agriculture that, amongst others, lays down points of departure for future Black participation in the industry. With this as a starting point, Agri SA gave inputs to a government process followed by the development of the Agri BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) document.
The Agri BEE document released on 27 July 2004 differs in core respects from the prepared document that Agri SA became conversant with. Consequently, before we give in-depth comment, Agri SA and its members need time to evaluate it. For Agri SA, as a social partner to the Strategic Plan for South African Agriculture, this altered document came as a surprise since we would expect that far-reaching proposals such as these would be mutually debated, before being released for broader input and comment.
Some of the approaches and proposals in the document that will have to be cleared up in the following negotiation process, are the following:
The level and attainability of land reform objectives, management participation objectives, training objectives and owners stakeholder objectives.
The cost and specific responsibilities with the costing of relevant programmes
The desirability to make land reform an integral part of Agri BEE
Defining the agriculture value chain
The desirability to address agri-businesses and primary agriculture in an integrated manner in this charter
Obligations and commitments with regard to the purchase of, and doing business with, empowerment companies.
Because of questions with regard to the attainability of certain proposals and objectives, given market realities and capacity restrictions in government and the private sector, Agri SA is concerned that on the one hand the document will raise expectations and frustrations, and on the other also lead to undesirable uncertainty among current role players.
The success of the empowerment programme depends to a large extent on consensus with social partners about aspirations, the attainability of objectives and respective responsibilities.
The process of negotiation over the next few months must satisfactorily intercept these. Agri SA will make the best use of the negotiation opportunity in order to see to the legitimate stakes of current role players in the industry, but also of new entrants, in the best interest of agriculture and the broader economy.
Enquiries: Mr Japie Grobler, Agri SA President
082 825 8018
Mr Hans van der Merwe, Agri SA Executive Director
082 388 0001 of 012-322 6980