SA Groundnut Forum (SAGF)
held on 31 October 2012 at 10:00 at the offices of the Oilseeds Industry, Woodmead

1. Opening

   The meeting was opened with a prayer, offered by Mr Gerhard Keun.

2. Welcome

   The Chairperson, Mr GTduT Keun, welcomed all present to the last meeting of the Groundnut Forum in 2012.

3. Attendance

   Present
   Mr GTduT Keun	Chairperson
   Ms A van Deventer	Vice Chairperson
   Mr A Cronjé	Tiger Consumer Brands
   Mr GL de Kock	Roba
   Mr O de Witt	Praxia Trading
   Mr N Hawkins	SAGIS
   Mr S Heilbron	PPECB
   Mr C Louw	GrainSA
   Ms C Mapatlare	DAFF
   Mr V Mapfumari	DAFF
   Ms DB Marabe	DAFF
   Ms S Matai	PPECB
   Mr C Mathews	Mpumalanga Dept Agriculture
   Mr M Mosome	DAFF
   Mr R Nerwich	The Snack Factory
   Mr GL Nortjé	GWK
   Ms L Salomon	ARC-GCI
   Ms M Scheepers	DAFF
   Mr GJH Scholtemeijer	OAC
   Dr CJ Swanevelder	Consultant
   Mr C Thabethe	DOH
   Dr G Thompson	ARC-GCI
   Dr WJ van der Walt	SANCU
   Mr P van Wyk	VGM
   Mr G van Zyl	Triotrade
   Mr PA Visser	P Farm
   Mr N Wegner	PPECB
   Apologies
   Mr D Boshoff	AFMA
   Mr JCG du Preez	Consultant
   Mr G Fourie	SAGM
   Mr GT Geldenhuys	GrainSA
   Ms E Harmse	OPDT Contractor
   Mr W Higgs	Triotrade
   Mr G Louw
   Dr A Lubbe	Grain Silo Industry
   Mr B Makhafolo	DAFF
   Dr D Naicker	PPECB
   Ms AE Pretorius	ARC-GCI
   Ms J Sadie	DAFF
   Mr C Wolhuter	Skemaprodukte

4. Personalia

   None reported.

5. Finalisation of agenda

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

   • Item 10.2 – South African Food Safety Control Workshop;
   • Item 10.3 – Export inspections at loading point;
   • Item 10.4 – PPECB Offices;
   • Item 10.5 – Laboratories: Germination tests.

6. Approval of minutes

   1. Approval of the minutes of the meeting of the SA Groundnut Forum held on 31 July 2012

      Resolved:

      1. That the minutes of the meeting of the SA Groundnut Forum, that was held on 31 July 2012, be accepted as a true and fair reflection of that meeting.

7. Matters arising

   1. Chemical residues in the EU

      (Resolution 7.1.1 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 31 July 2012)

      Mr Keun reported that the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) had confirmed that they would publish the official list of chemicals registered for use on groundnuts in South Africa on their website, once the Forum had submitted the information to them.

      Resolved:

      1. That cognisance be taken that the official list of chemicals registered for use on groundnuts in South Africa will be submitted to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), for publication on their website.

         Chairperson
         SAGF

   2. Seed quality

      (Resolution 7.3.1 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 31 July 2012)

      Cognisance was taken of the copy of the regulations on commercial groundnut seed quality, that had been included with the documentation of the meeting, so that the necessary amendments could be discussed, in order to ensure that seed of good quality was made available to the producers.

      Mr Louw remarked that the physical requirements of groundnut seed were not covered by the regulations. Mr Visser said the physical qualities of groundnut seed, as currently approved by SANSOR, were not acceptable to the producers.

      Dr van der Walt remarked that one had to differentiate between the regulations on commercial groundnut seed quality, and SANSOR's seed certification standards. Mr Louw noted that Clause Six of the regulations indicated that a number of physical requirements had been deleted, and suggested that it be ascertained which requirements had been deleted, so that this could be followed up on with the relevant parties. It was agreed that GrainSA would handle the matter.

      Resolved:

      1. That feedback is awaited from GrainSA on progress achieved with the initiative to ensure that groundnut seed of good quality was made available to the producers.

         Mr Louw (GrainSA)
         SAGF

   3. HACCP regulations

      (Resolutions 7.5.1 and 7.5.2 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 31 July 2012)

      The Chairperson said he had yet to approach the Department of Health (DOH) on the matter of creating awareness amongst the relevant role players on the necessity of groundnut processing plants obtaining HACCP compliance.

      The Chairperson called on Mr Heilbron to inform the members on food safety compliance within the groundnut industry.

      Mr Heilbron noted that the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) could be considered to be the regulator in the process of export food safety compliance, with the PPECB being the implementor. He added that various industry bodies as well as producers were involved as role players in the process.

      Mr Heilbron said the groundnut processing plants had to comply with the HACCP element of food safety, as governed by R908, while the producers had to comply with R707. He provided detail of progress achieved thus far, and the challenges that had to be faced, in the implementation of R707.

      Mr Heilbron concluded his presentation by saying that effective communication seemed to offer a huge challenge, even though modern communication technology was freely available to most of those concerned. He urged the members of the Forum to spread the message that his doors were always open, and that he was available at all times to answer questions the role players wished to pose.

      Resolved:

      1. That the DOH would be approached with the view to creating awareness amongst the relevant role players on the necessity of groundnut processing plants obtaining HACCP compliance.

         Chairperson
         SAGF

   4. Groundnut samples: DOH

      (Resolution 10.4.1 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 31 July 2012)

      The Chairperson called on Mr Thabethe to inform the members on groundnut samples tested by the DOH.

      Mr Thabethe presented an overview of the applicable legislation, the objectives of sampling runs, a background to the peanut butter, groundnut snacks and nut sampling runs, the number and representivity of samples taken, and the timing of the sampling runs. He also outlined to what extent stakeholders participated in the exercise.

      Mr Thabethe confirmed that the DOH's Directorate of Food Control could present the information on sampling to the Forum on an annual basis. The Chairperson opened the floor for questions.

      With reference to non-compliance, Mr Thabethe informed the meeting that compliance issues were dealt with on a municipal and provincial level. Dr van der Walt said the DOH should aim to create an understanding on local and provincial government level that it could be risky to buy products such as peanut butter for feeding schemes on price only.

      The Chairperson thanked Mr Thabethe for the presentation. He expressed the hope that Mr Thabethe would attend the Groundnut Forum meetings on a regular basis, as Mr Thabethe was a source of valuable information.

   5. Structure of representation on the Groundnut Forum, the Oilseeds Advisory Committee (OAC) and the Oil and Protein Seeds Development Trust (OPDT)

      (Resolutions 7.5.1 and 7.5.2 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 31 July 2012)

      Cognisance was taken of the organogram of the structures within the oilseeds industry. Mr van Wyk asked that the names of the members of the OAC and the OPDT be provided to the members of the Forum.

      Resolved:

      1. That the names of the members of the OAC and the OPDT would be provided to the members of the Forum.

         Chairperson
         SAGF

8. Industry information and marketing aspects

   1. SAGIS: General feedback and market information

      (Resolution 8.1.1 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 31 July 2012)

      Mr Hawkins presented an overview of the groundnut information, as compiled by SAGIS. He said the information included, inter alia, local production figures, data on imports and exports, data on international and local stocks as well as data on the consumption of groundnuts, peanut butter and crushed nuts. He added that the information was published on the SAGIS website.

      Mr Hawkins conveyed SAGIS' gratitude for the inputs delivered by the various co-workers, as well as those delivered by the members of the Groundnut Forum and the various associations in the industry. He also acknowledged the contributions of the SAGIS Board of Directors. He invited the Forum to approach SAGIS with requests for information that SAGIS did not currently provide.

      Mr Hawkins referred to the resolution passed at the previous meeting, which stated that the Forum would discuss the way SAGIS handled information on blanched groundnuts. He said SAGIS recorded the movement of grains and oilseeds. He added that SAGIS currently regarded blanching as part of the groundnut processing process, and did not consider blanched groundnuts to be an end-product. He said SAGIS could, however, record the number of groundnuts that were blanched, if the industry so wished. The members of the Forum agreed that this would not be necessary.

      The members took cognisance of the market information SAGIS had compiled for the Groundnut Forum, of the weekly bulletin dated 9 October and of the monthly bulletin, dated 21 September 2012.

   2. Crop and Area estimates

      Cognisance was taken of the document reflecting the final production estimate for summer crops for the 2012 production season, and of the comparison between the 2011 and 2012 production seasons.

      The Chairperson called on Ms Scheepers to elucidate on the information. Ms Scheepers said the area planted to groundnuts in 2012 had decreased by approximately 10 000 hectares, compared to the total groundnut plantings in 2011. She also provided details of the areas where groundnut plantings had decreased or increased. She added that it was expected that groundnut production would yet again decrease in the coming production season.

      In response to a question by Mr Mathews, Ms Scheepers said she intended to rectify the matter with regard to groundnut production in Mpumalanga.

      Ms Scheepers said it seemed as if the producers intended to plant more maize and other oilseed crops in the new season, and added that this could be ascribed to the fact that groundnuts were considered to be a capital and labour intensive crop.

      Mr Nerwich asked in what way groundnut production could be promoted amongst producers. The Chairperson agreed that the information Ms Scheepers had provided was disturbing. He said all the role players in the industry would have to support the OAC's initiatives to promote and increase local groundnut production.

      Mr Louw said different factors played a role in this scenario. He said although the price of groundnuts was relatively favourable at that stage, good rains were needed in October, especially in the dryland areas of the Northwest and North West Free State. He added that the prevailing climate during the last five years or so had definitely impacted negatively on groundnut production in the dryland areas. He said factors like labour and food safety also played a role. Mr Visser agreed that climate was an important factor. Mr Nerwich raised the possibility that groundnut cultivars with a later planting date be identified.

      Mr Nerwich said overseas buyers did not consider groundnut supplies from South Africa to be reliable. He added that the industry had to do everything in its power to encourage producers to plant more groundnuts. He said as far as he was concerned, the quality of South African groundnuts was superb. Ms van Deventer supported this view.

      Mr Scholtemeijer said the OAC had initiated a project whereby a variety of promising imported groundnut cultivars were being evaluated in local conditions, and were also looking at the possibility of sourcing international expertise to effect technology transfer. He added that various other measures could be implemented to promote groundnut production, and that the OAC was willing to lend its support to the groundnut industry.

9. Research

   1. Study: Sustainability of the groundnut industry

      (Resolutions 9.1.1 to 9.1.6 of the SA Groundnut Forum minutes of 31 July 2012)

      The Chairperson reported that GrainSA's Specialist Groundnut Work Group had discussed the matter of a "groundnut passport" at some length, and that the Group had recommended that the matter be held in abeyance, until such time PPECB had finalised their R707 audit process. Mr Heilbron supported this recommendation, and said there might be duplication if both systems were to be implemented.

      Cognisance was taken of the pamphlet detailing the health benefits of groundnuts, that had been compiled by the University of North West. The Chairperson noted that some members had not received their meeting packs timeously and as a result could not comment on the pamphlet. He said he would circulate the document electronically, and added that the document would also be included in the next meeting pack, so that members could comment on it.

      Cognisance was also taken that no further inputs had been received on the generic groundnut marketing initiative. The Chairperson urged the members to submit their comments before 26 November 2012, so that these could be submitted to the OAC and the Research Priority Committee (RPC).

      Mr Louw reported that GrainSA's Specialist Groundnut Work Group had once again discussed the possible implementation of a groundnut grading system, and had resolved to retain the status quo on producer deliveries, in line with the resolutions passed at two of GrainSA's Congress meetings.

      Cognisance was taken that the ARC-GCI had compiled a groundnut production calendar that had been circulated to the members via email. Ms Salomon said hard copies would be distributed by the ARC-GCI. Mr Visser congratulated Ms Salomon on the work she had produced.

      Resolved:

      1. That feedback was being awaited from the members on the generic groundnut marketing initiative.

         Members

      2. That feedback was being awaited on the pamphlet detailing the health benefits of groundnuts.

         Members

10. Additional items

    1. Articles

       Cognisance was taken of the articles "Nuwe uitbreidingsgeleenthede wink vir SAGIS", "Knopwortelaalwurms (Meloidogyne spp) onder die vergrootglas", "Strongarm 'n wenner teen onkruid by soja- en grondbone!, sê produsente", "Markoorsig vir grondbone" and "Lae voorraad is goed vir grondboonboere".

    2. South African Food Safety Control Workshop

       Cognisance was taken that the South African Food Safety Control Workshop was being presented on 3 November 2012, and would be attended by members of the Forum.

       Resolved:

       1. That feedback was being awaited on the South African Food Safety Control Workshop that was being presented on 3 November 2012.

          Ms van Deventer

    3. Export inspections at loading point

       Mr Wegner reported that one of the recommendations emanating from the visit of the delegation of the European Union (EU) to South Africa, had been that official controls of groundnuts had to be carried out at all stages of production, processing and exports. He said the PPECB and DAFF had implemented a system, whereby controls at harbours had been introduced in March 2011. He urged exporters to inform the Durban office that export consignments were to be delivered at a specific facility, so that the inspection could be carried out within 24 hours, and the Q44 inspection report could be issued. He said three documents would be required if the export certificate were to be issued, viz. the Q44, or the Durban inspection report, the PPECB inspection report as well as the aflatoxin certificate.

       Following on a comment by Mr van Wyk, the Chairperson suggested that DAFF communicated the Q44 system to all the role players in the industry.

       Resolved:

       1. That the implementation of the Q44 system would be communicated to all the relevant role players in the industry.

          Mr Wegner
          SAGF

    4. PPECB Offices

       Cognisance was taken that the PPECB's Gauteng office had moved to Centurion.

    5. Laboratories: Germination tests

       Mr van Wyk said only one laboratory that of Senwes in Orkney, could do germination tests on groundnut seed. He added that this was not an acceptable state of affairs, as there was a lot of pressure on that laboratory to deliver results timeously. Mr Visser supported this opinion, and suggested that additional laboratories be identified, who could render these services to the industry.

       The Chairperson said the Management Committee would tend to the matter.

       Resolved:

       1. That feedback be awaited on the identification of laboratories who could provide germination testing facilities to the groundnut industry.

          Chairperson
          SAGF ManCom

11. Election of office bearers

    1. Election of Chairperson

       Ms van Deventer took the chair, and called for nominations for the position of Chairperson of the Groundnut Forum for the period November 2012 to November 2014. Nominations were received for Dr Marinda Visser and Mr Gerhard Keun. Mr Keun was elected as Chairperson of the Groundnut Forum.

       Resolved:

       1. That Mr GTduT Keun be elected as Chairperson of the Groundnut Forum for the period November 2012 to November 2014.

          Chairperson
          SAGF

    2. Election of Management Committee

       The Chairperson said the Management Committee of the Groundnut Forum consisted of the chairperson, vice chairperson, and representatives of the processors, producers and research. The following members were unanimously elected as members of the Steering Committee of the SA Groundnut Forum:

       Representative of producers	A representative from GrainSA, ex officio;
       Representative of processors	Mr W Higgs;
       Representative of research	Dr G Thompson.

       Resolved:

       1. That Mr W Higgs, Dr G Thompson and a representative of GrainSA, ex officio, be elected to the Management Committee of the SA Groundnut Forum.

          Chairperson
          SAGF ManCom

12. Meeting dates 2013

    The next meeting will be held on 13 February 2013.

13. Adjournment

    The Chairperson noted that Mr Mathews would be retiring from service at the Mpumalanga Department Agriculture on the last day of October. He said Mr Mathews had made a valuable contribution to the small-scale groundnut producers' activities through his research, and added that the OPDT, OAC and the Forum had high regard for the work Mr Mathews had done. Mr Mathews thanked the oilseeds industry for the support they had provided him with.

    The Chairperson thanked the members of the Forum for their attendance at, and contributions to the meeting, and wished all a safe journey home. There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.