OPDT   OIL & PROTEIN SEEDS DEVELOPMENT TRUST
OAC   OILSEEDS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

OPDT
OIL & PROTEIN SEEDS DEVELOPMENT TRUST

OAC
OILSEEDS ADVISORY COMMITTEE


Minutes

SA Groundnut Forum (SAGF)
held on 30 March 2011 at 10:00 at the Sellschop Building, ARC-GCI, Potchefstroom

  1. Opening

    The meeting was opened with prayer offered by Mr GTDu T Keun.

  2. Welcome

    The Chairperson, Mr GTDuT Keun, welcomed all present to the meeting, with a special word of welcome to Messrs Geldenhuys and Ngcobo, who were attending a meeting of the Groundnut Forum for the first time.

  3. Attendance

    Present

    Mr GTduT Keun Chairperson
    Mr J Blaauw PPECB
    Mr GA de Witt Praxia Trading
    Ms A Enslin SAGIS
    Mr G Fourie SAGM
    Ms P Fourie GrainSA
    Mr GT Geldenhuys GrainSA
    Mr N Hawkins GrainSA
    Mr RW Higgs Triotrade Gauteng
    Mr M Ngcobo PPECB
    Mr RE Nerwich The Snack Factory
    Ms AE Pretorius ARC-GCI
    Ms L Salomon ARC-GCI
    Mr P Sanford FRW (Groundnuts) Pty Ltd
    Dr CJ Swanevelder Consultant
    Dr WJ van der Walt SANCU
    Ms A van Deventer Praxia Trading
    Mr PJ van Heerden PPECB
    Mr P van Wyk VGM
    Mr PA Visser P Farm

    Apologies

    Ms R Beukes DAFF
    Mr AM Cronjé Tiger Brands
    Dr J Dreyer ARC-GCI
    Mr JCG du Preez Consultant
    Mr A Evans RE Groundnuts
    Mr D Kok Grain Silo Industry
    Mr H Lazarus SA Groundnut Marketing
    Mr A Lubbe Grain Silo Industry
    Mr J Roux Safrinut
    Mr W Roux Safrinut
  4. Personalia

    The contents of the letter Dr Dreyer had addressed to the Forum on his retirement was noted.

    The meeting agreed that the groundnut industry at a later stage would formally thank Dr Jan Dreyer and Mr Jan Du Preez for their contributions to the industry.

  5. Finalisation of agenda

    The agenda was accepted as it stood, with the addition of:

    • Item 11.2 – Export of groundnuts intended for animal feed; and
    • Item 11.3 – PPECB matters.
  6. Approval of minutes

    1. Approval of the minutes of the meeting of the SA Groundnut Forum held on 1 February 2011

      Resolved:

      1. That the minutes of the meeting of the SA Groundnut Forum, which was held on 1 February 2011, be accepted as a true and fair reflection of that meeting.
  7. Matters arising

    1. Chemical residues in the EU and Far East

      (Resolutions 7.3.1 to 7.3.3 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 1 February 2011)

      Mr Keun reported that Mr Rob Wood, a consultant, had indicated that he would submit a proposal on the annual compilation of a list of chemical agents applicable to the groundnut industry, for consideration by the Oilseeds Advisory Committee.

      It was noted that a list of 52 chemicals registered for use on groundnuts in South Africa had been compiled by the Department of Health (DOH), which list would be used in conjunction with Mr Wood's list, in order to comply with the requirements of the European Union (EU) and the Far East with regard to chemical residues. Ms Van Deventer confirmed that she would obtain a copy of the DOH's list.

      Resolved:

      1. That it be noted that a proposal on the annual compilation of a list of chemical agents applicable to the groundnut industry will be submitted for consideration by the Oilseeds Advisory Committee.

        Chairperson

      2. That it be noted that a copy of the list of 52 chemicals registered for use on groundnuts in South Africa, that had been compiled by the Department of Health (DOH), would be made available to the members of the Forum.

        Ms van Deventer

    2. Peanut butter – Gauteng Feeding scheme

      (Resolution 7.4.1 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 1 February 2011)

      The resolution with regard to the exclusion of peanut butter on the Gauteng Education Department's list of approved foods in their feeding scheme was referred to the Steering Committee.

      Resolved:

      1. That the relevant authorities be contacted to determine what had motivated the Gauteng Department of Education to delete peanut butter from the list of approved foods in their feeding scheme.

        Chairperson
        Steering Committee

    3. Competition Commission

      (Resolution 7.5.1 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 1 February 2011)

      Cognisance was taken of the list of issues that are not to be discussed at Forum meetings, in order to comply with the requirements of the Competition Commission. Cognisance was also taken that the list will be included with the documentation of all future meetings of the Forum, and that it will be minuted that the list was considered to have been read by all present at the meeting.

      Resolved:

      1. That it be noted the list of issues that are not to be discussed at Forum meetings, will be included with the documentation of all future meetings of the Forum, and that it will be minuted that the list was considered to have been read by all present at the meeting.

        Chairperson

    4. Export contracts

      (Resolution 7.1.2 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 1 February 2011)

      The members were in agreement that the Forum could not instruct its members on how to conduct their businesses. The matter was considered to be concluded.

    5. Feedback: EU Visit

      The Chairperson noted his disappointment on the absence of representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) at the meeting, as he had hoped that they would be able to provide feedback on the visit of the EU delegates to South Africa. Mr Hawkins proposed that the DAFF representatives and their superiors be informed in writing that the members of the Forum had expressed their regret about the absence of DAFF employees at the meeting. It was noted that DAFF, the Department of Health (DOH) and PPECB would be requested to nominate a specific representative to attend future meetings of the Forum.

      Ms van Deventer briefly reported on the preliminary findings of the EU delegation. The Chairperson proposed that the final report on the findings of the EU delegation be awaited before any further action was taken.

      Mr Higgs reported that he had been informed that all groundnut processing plants were to be HACCP-approved and certified by 1 May 2011. He said PPECB had informed some, but not all, of the roleplayers that the changes that had been implemented to the procedures in Durban Harbour would now be aggressively applied. He proposed that PPECB keep all the relevant roleplayers fully informed of all changes in procedure. Following on an extensive discussion of the matter, the Chairperson ruled that a meeting would be convened before the end of April between PPECB and all the relevant roleplayers, so that the matter could be discussed and resolved. Mr Blaauw suggested that the status quo be left unchanged for the moment, and that the process of engagement started once the final EU report had been submitted.

      In response to a question by Mr Visser, the Chairperson said the DOH would be approached as soon as possible to clarify whether or not all processing plants had to be HACCP-certified in the coming season. Mr Visser said the plants usually stood idle between January and March, and added that it would be perfect if HACCP-certification was scheduled for that period.

      Resolved:

      1. That the DAFF representatives and their superiors be informed in writing that the members of the Forum had expressed their regret about the absence of DAFF employees at the meeting.

        Chairperson

      2. That DAFF, the Department of Health (DOH) and PPECB would be requested to nominate a specific representative to attend future meetings of the Forum.

        Chairperson

      3. That the final report on the findings of the EU delegation be awaited before any further action would be taken.

        Chairperson
        Members

      4. That the Department of Health be approached as soon as possible to clarify whether or not all processing plants had to be HACCP-certified in the coming season.

        Chairperson

    6. Seed quality

      Cognisance was taken that a representative from SANSOR will be invited to a future meeting of the Forum to discuss the required qualities of seed to be made available for planting with reference to a brief in this regard, which the Steering Committee would prepare beforehand.

      Resolved:

      1. That a representative from SANSOR will be invited to a future meeting of the Forum to discuss the required qualities of seed to be made available for planting with reference to a brief in this regard, which the Steering Committee would prepare beforehand.

        Chairperson
        Steering Committee

    7. Imports of peanut butter

      (Resolution 9.1 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 1 February 2011)

      Cognisance was taken that feedback was being awaited from the Department of Health on the matter of large volumes of peanut butter imports.

      The e-mail from the above-mentioned department that the matter would be investigated and feedback provided by the end of April 2011, was noted.

      Resolved:

      1. That the Department of Health be alerted to the fact that large volumes of peanut butter were currently imported from India, and be requested to confirm that imported peanut butter was tested for aflatoxin.

        Ms van Deventer

    8. Role and structure of Groundnut Forum

      Ms van Deventer reported at some length on the meeting the Steering Committee had convened to discuss the future role and structure of the Forum. The Chairperson said Ms van Deventer had prepared a comprehensive document for further discussion by the Steering Committee, and added that the members of the Forum would be kept informed on progress achieved.

  8. Industry information and marketing aspects

    1. SAGIS: General feedback and market information

      The members took cognisance of the SAGIS weekly bulletin dated 8 March and the monthly bulletin dated 23 February.

      Ms Enslin conveyed SAGIS's gratitude to the co-workers in the industry for submitting their returns timeously, and to the members of the Forum for their support and cooperation. The members of the Forum confirmed that they were satisfied with the information compiled by SAGIS.

    2. Crop and Area estimates

      Cognisance was taken of the first production forecast for summer crops for the 2010/2011 production season. Ms Salomon said she was expecting good results from the cultivar evaluation trials. She warned that the harvest dates may be delayed, because of the reduced number of heat units experienced during the current season, which could have an effect on yield.

  9. Research

    1. Study: Sustainability of the groundnut industry

      (Resolution 7.1.1 to 7.1.3 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 1 February 2011)

      Cognisance was taken that the Research Priority Committee of the oilseeds industry had approved the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy's (BFAP) proposal on the study on the sustainability of the local groundnut industry.

    2. Research proposal: Aflatoxin

      (Resolution 10.4.1 and 10.4.2 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 1 February 2011)

      Mr Ngcobo provided further detail of PPECB's planned study on the supply chain of groundnuts. Mr Geldenhuys suggested that both mechanically and manually harvested nuts be included in the study. The members of the Forum confirmed that they would lend their full support to the study.

  10. Feedback: groundnut industry roleplayers

    No report back.

  11. Additional items

    1. HACCP regulations

      This matter has been discussed as part of item 7.5. The Chairperson reported that Dr van der Walt had provided him with the DOH and DAFF's guidelines on HACCP and GAP, respectively. He said he would distribute copies of the guidelines to the members.

    2. Export of groundnuts intended for animal feed

      Mr Visser noted that clarification had to be obtained as soon as possible on the matter of the reinstatement of the dispensation on groundnuts intended for exports aimed at the animal feed market.

      Resolved:

      1. That clarification be obtained as soon as possible on the matter of the reinstatement of the dispensation on groundnuts intended for exports aimed at the animal feed market.

        Chairperson
        Ms Van Deventer
        Mr Visser

    3. PPECB matters

      Mr Higgs said the EU required a two-legged report on aflatoxin testing, while the PPECB did a three-legged analysis, which resulted in additional expenditure. Mr Blaauw said he would request Dr Naicker to provide an explanation on this. Ms van Deventer said she had been informed that the regulations would not be amended while the local groundnut industry was being scrutinised by the EU.

      Resolved:

      1. That cognisance be taken that Dr Naicker will be asked to inform the Forum on the reasons why the PPECB did a three-legged analysis for aflatoxin on groundnuts while the EU required two-legged testing only.

        Mr Blaauw
        Chairperson

  12. Meeting dates 2011

    Meeting dates will be communicated to the members of the Forum once the Steering Committee had reflected on the issue.

  13. Adjournment

    The Chairperson thanked the members of the Forum for their attendance at, and contributions to the meeting, and wished all a safe journey home. Dr Swanevelder congratulated the Forum on its new approach to handling matters of interest to the industry. There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 12:30.