DAFF Newsletter issued on - Department of Agriculture

DAFF
October 2015
Official newsletter of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
This huge bull drew the Minister’s
attention at Agri Mega Week in
Bredasdorp. From left is Mr Lumko
Mtimdi, Chief of Staff in the Ministry
DAFF, Mr Willem Wagener from
Toorberg Farm, Mr Senzeni Zokwana,
the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries and Mr Orton King, the CEO of
Agri Mega Group. With them is Waldor,
the 36-month-old Romagnola bull,
already weighing a healthy 1 100kg
from Toorberg Farm in the Graaff
Reinet district.
Romagnola is a breed of cattle from
the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.
It belongs to the Podolic group of
grey cattle. Romagnola cattle were
used principally as draught beasts
in the past. Since the mechanisation
of agriculture in the middle of the
twentieth century, they have been bred
primarily for beef production. The
Romagnola’s temperament is docile
but alert, making it an easy breed to
handle.
Departmental
Food security is a constitutional right
and therefore DAFF continues to
prioritise it as one of the key focus
areas together with job creation, Mr
Senzeni Zokwana, the Minister of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.
He was speaking at Agri Mega Week in
Bredasdorp.
Being invited to the event is relevant as
DAFF is fully committed to the growth and
development of all producer categories:
subsistence, smallholder and commercial.
“We want lasting partnerships to work together in fulfilling our priority to increase
the number of individuals who are food
secure,” Mr Zokwana said.
In an effort to address food security,
Cabinet approved the National Policy
on Food and Nutrition Security in 2013.
DAFF introduced the Fetsa Tlala Food
Production Initiative aimed at increasing
food accessibility, affordability and availability by putting 1 million hectares of
underutilised land under production by the
2018/19 production season. The focus is
on the increase of maize production.
Lasting partnerships can work together in
fulfilling our priority to increase the number
of individuals who are food secure. Mr
Senzeni called upon commercial farm
partners and small-scale farmers to work
together with Government.
More than 7 million people currently
experience hunger, which means adults
and children go hungy often because
there is not enough food in their households. “The partnership I am calling for,
where you mentor young South Africans,
is achievable. My call today is for farmers to work with us as Government”, the
minister said.
Government will look at ways to compensate established farmers in mentoring
new entrants. DAFF do not want to alienate the established commercial farmers
while working with small-scale farmers.
Collaborations and joint ventures are
necessary towards the attainment of government efforts in eradicating poverty.
Partnerships are critical in achieving the
and Fisheries. Private Bag X250, PRETORIA 0001.
It is published by the Directorate Communication Services, Private Bag
X144, PRETORIA 0001.
Opinions expressed in DAFFnews are not necessarily those of the
editorial team. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying,
recording or any information storage or retrieval system without prior
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October 2015 DAFFnews No. 10
to p 3
The sheep shearing
demonstration drawed
a lot of attention at
AgriMega week.
DAFFnews is the newsletter of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry
permission from the editor.
objectives set out in the National Development Plan, that highlights the importance
of rural areas which are spatially, socially
and economically well integrated across
municipal, district, provincial and regional
boundaries.
Six policy imperatives, which are the
focus of the current Medium Term Strategic
Framework are:
• Improved land administration and
spatial planning for integrated development in rural areas.
• Sustainable land reform.
• Improved food security.
• Smallholder farmer development and
support for agrarian transformation.
• Increased access to quality basic in-
Editor
Piwe Mbiko
Subeditor
Lerato Mofokeng
Reporters Thuli Lehong
Samuel Kgatla
Musa Khumalo
Innocent Mhlanga Rony Moremi
Jamela Nkanyane
Mercia Smith
Photographer Jarius Mmutle
Interns
Zama Buthelezi
Dimakatso Modise
Distribution Salome Bodibe
Sheila Flockton
Website: www.daff.gov.za
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Departmental
Minister at
AgriMegaweek
from p 2
frastructure and services, particularly
in education, healthcare and public
transport in rural areas.
• Growth of sustainable rural enterprises and industries characterised by
strong rural-urban linkages, increased
investment in agro-processing, trade
development and access to markets
and financial services.
The National Development Plan further
mandates that by 2030 agriculture should
create approximately 1 million new jobs,
contributing significantly to reducing overall unemployment.
DAFF has strategic interventions implemented to realise the vision of eliminating
skewed participation in the sector and
ensuring food security such as:
• The Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) aimed at
providing post-settlement support to
the targeted beneficiaries
• Ilima/Letsema is aimed at supplying
most of the agricultural inputs
• LandCare programme—a community
based and government supported
approach to the sustainable management and use of agricultural natural
resources.
Besides observing the decline of the commerical sector, the smallholder sector has
not grown with some viewing smallholder
support as a waste of resources due to their
vast challenges, Mr Senzeni said.
However, smallholder producers tend to
use labour intensive methods rather than
capital intensive ones, and as such, smallholder agriculture tends to absorb more
labour and use land more intensively.
Mr Arno Munro from fisheries is inviting school girls at AgriMega week to touch a
star fish. Some of them were not too sure if they would do it.
This will contribute to the fulfillment of
the New Growth Path (NGP), which has
the longer-term target of growing the smallholder sector by 300 000 by the year 2020.
Also, 145 000 new jobs in agro-processing
have to be created. Conditions for 660
000 farm workers must be improved.
It is essential to equip smallholders so
that ultimately they can meet a large share
of the food requirements.
It is also important that we produce quality products that we can export to international markets. Government is engaging
markets like China, Russia and others so
that producers can sell their products.
Mr Senzeni concluded by saying that he
wishes to see more youth and women in
agriculture.
No. 10 DAFFnews October 2015
3
Departmental
World Rabies Day
This advice can save your life!
28 September is World Rabies Day
where individual countries across the world
organise events to raise awareness and
promote prevention.
What is rabies?
Rabies is a disease that affects the brain,
causing people and animals to die.
Signs of disease in animals?
Changes in behaviour (e.g. wild animals
appear tame, while domestic animals
become aggressive), salivation (drooling
or foam at the mouth), incoordination,
paralysis (loss of ability to move) and inability to swallow or drink water.
How do people get rabies?
People most commonly get rabies from
being bitten by a dog that has rabies.
People are usually infected after a deep
bite or scratch by an infected animal. Dogs
are the main host and transmitter of rabies.
They are the cause of human rabies deaths
in Asia and Africa.
Bats are the source of most human
rabies deaths in the Americas. Bat rabies
has also recently emerged as a public
health threat in Australia and western
Europe. Human deaths following exposure to foxes, raccoons, skunks, jackals,
mongooses and other wild carnivore host
species are very rare.
Transmission can also occur when infectious material – usually saliva – comes into
direct contact with human mucosa or fresh
skin wounds. Human-to-human transmission by bite is theoretically possible but has
never been confirmed.
Rarely, rabies may be contracted by inhalation of virus-containing aerosol or via
transplant of an infected organ. Ingestion
of raw meat or other tissue from animals
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October 2015 DAFFnews No. 10
infected with rabies is not a source of human infection.
Symptoms
The incubation period for rabies is
typically 1–3 months, but may vary from
1 week to 1 year. The initial symptoms
of rabies are fever and often pain or an
unusual or unexplained tingling, pricking
or burning sensation (paraesthesia) at the
wound site. As the virus spreads through
the central nervous system, progressive,
fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal
cord develops.
Two forms of the disease can follow.
People with furious rabies exhibit signs of
hyperactivity, excited behaviour, hydrophobia and sometimes aerophobia. After a
few days, death occurs by cardiorespiratory arrest.
Paralytic rabies accounts for about 30%
of the total number of human cases. This
form of rabies runs a less dramatic and
usually longer course than the furious
form. The muscles gradually become
paralyzed, starting at the site of the bite
or scratch. A coma slowly develops, and
eventually death occurs. The paralytic form
of rabies is often misdiagnosed, contributing to the under-reporting of the disease.
Which animals can get rabies?
Pets, e.g. dogs and cats. Livestock (e.g.
cattle) and some wildlife can also get
rabies.
How do I protect my pet and
myself?
Have all your dogs and cats vaccinated
yearly – it is compulsory by law. Never
touch or pick up stray animals.
If you get bitten:
• Wash the wound(s) well with lots of
soap under running water.
• Immediately go to a clinic.
• You might have to return to the clinic
several times for treatment. Failure
to return for follow-up treatment can
result in the treatment not being effective and death may result.
• Inform the local state or private veterinarian, animal health technician
or even the local police so that they
may find and remove the rabid animal
before it hurts anyone else.
Contact your nearest state/private veterinarian/animal health technician for further
information.
Directorate: Animal Health
Tel: 012 319 7456, or
Directorate Food Import and Export
Standards, Animal Health Promotion
Division
Tel: 012 319 6004/6117.
Departmental
Dog vaccination: The key to end
human rabies transmitted by dogs
The eradication of dog-transmitted
human rabies is possible. We now
have all the tools required to achieve
this goal by the middle of the 21st
century. Over 95% of human rabies
cases are caused by dog bites. By
vaccinating 70% of dog populations
in areas where rabies is present, the
number of human cases can rapidly
drop to almost zero.
The mass vaccination of dogs has
been accepted by the international community as the most cost-effective means
of eliminating rabies. Since 2012, the
OIE Rabies Vaccine Bank has supported
the implementation of dog vaccination
campaigns in OIE Member Countries,
providing them with high quality vaccines
at an affordable price. A number of these
countries are now a step closer towards
becoming “rabies free.” On occasion of
World Rabies Day 2015, the OIE reaches
out to the international community to
continue all efforts towards meeting this
realistic goal.
Paris, 28 September 2015 – “Mass
vaccination of dogs is the method of
choice for eliminating dog-transmitted
human rabies. It is the only real way to
break the disease’s infectious cycle between animals and humans,” underlines
Dr. Bernard Vallat, the Director General
of the OIE. “The global eradication of
rabies is possible by vaccinating large
populations of dogs in affected areas.”
Some countries, notably in Europe,
have already succeeded in eradicating
rabies through the implementation of
dog vaccination campaigns. Although
undertaking vaccination campaigns
can represent a financial challenge, the
benefits of this approach immediately
readdresses perspectives: around 10%
of financial resources currently used to
provide emergency treatment for human
victims could cover the costs required for
all national Veterinary Services globally
to eradicate rabies in dogs through vaccination.
Through its World Animal Health and
Welfare Fund, the OIE supports its Member Countries in their efforts to combat
rabies and has taken various steps in
this direction. Since its creation in 2012
and with the financial support of the European Union, Australia, Germany and
France, the OIE established its Rabies
Vaccine Bank; this mechanism has been
deployed globally and has been used
by some of the poorest countries in Asia
and Africa.
The Philippines was one of the first
countries to benefit from the OIE Vaccine
Bank for Rabies. Since 2013, more than
3,5 million doses have been delivered to
several provinces with the results proving,
by and large, very promising. Acknowledging the importance of controlling
rabies in dogs, the Philippine government has allocated additional funds to
purchase rabies vaccines through WHO
and the OIE Vaccine Bank. Through its
continued commitment to this cause and
with the support of the OIE, the Philippines government is effectively working
towards eliminating rabies by 2020.
Other ASEAN Member Countries are
also accelerating towards the goal of a
“Rabies-free ASEAN by 2020”.
As of September 2015, almost 15 million rabies vaccines for dogs have been
delivered worldwide by the OIE. Of these,
7 million have been delivered by the OIE
to fourteen countries to support national
vaccination programmes.
In the framework of the Tripartite Alliance on rabies control, the WHO has
decided to place its procurement orders
for canine vaccines through the OIE Rabies Vaccine Bank. In 2015, 7,85 million
doses of rabies vaccines were purchased
by the WHO through the OIE Rabies Vaccine Bank for delivery to the Philippines
and to South Africa.
“The OIE Rabies Vaccine Bank is a
timely instrument because when we
need the vaccines, they come promptly.
The Vaccine Bank is a reliable source
of vaccines for us – we can go about
our activities on schedule and it makes
the communities happy because when
we promise them that the vaccines will
be coming, they are really coming.
The vaccine bank helps us to focus our
limited resources in high-risk areas that
need immediate intervention,” says Dr.
Emelinda Lopez, National Project Coordinator of the OIE Rabies Project in the
Philippines.
This vaccine bank mechanism guarantees the availability of high-quality
vaccines complying with OIE intergovernmental standards. It also ensures their
rapid delivery at a low price, following
international competitive calls for tenders
between potential providers.
In addition to the vaccine doses, OIE
Member Countries also need support in
implementing vaccination campaigns.
The OIE Animal Health and Welfare
Fund also supports activities such as
recruiting and training dog vaccinators,
producing educational material and in
conducting communication campaigns
to raise awareness on the importance of
responsible dog ownership.
Today rabies continues to impact lives
in most countries worldwide. This means
that half of the world’s human population
is at risk of contracting rabies. In areas
where access to post-bite prophylaxis is
limited or nonexistent, infection by the
disease will lead to death. Investment is
necessary to help countries globally to
implement national vaccination campaigns targeting canine rabies.
The WHO, OIE and FAO, with the support of GARC, have developed a rationale for investing in the global elimination
of dog-mediated rabies. The partners are
convinced that the collaboration between
human and animal health sectors is essential to eradicate the disease and will
hold a global Conference on this topic on
10 to11 December 2015 in Geneva.
No. 10 DAFFnews October 2015
5
Departmental
Implementation of date codes
on wood packaging material
(Date of Treatment)
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) is introducing
and enforcing the date code on ISPM
15 certified wood packaging material
(WPM) as a traceability and control
measure.
Examples of acceptable marks
Service providers are therefore given
until 1 January 2016 to implement the new
system, thereafter non-complying WPM
will be rejected. Service providers that are
currently implementing the date code system such as those participating in the USA
citrus export programme are encouraged
to continue with the system.
The system will be implemented
as follows:
• The date code shall be applied to all
WPM material certified for ISPM15
compliance such as pallets, boxes,
crates and dunnage.
• Date code shall consist of a day,
month and year (e.g. 01-01-2016,
01/01/2016 or 01 Jan 2016).
• Must be placed strictly outside the
borders of IPPC mark in a visible
location.
• The date code must be legible, durable and not transferable.
• Methyl bromide service providers shall
apply a date of treatment.
• Heat treatment service providers shall
apply a date of treatment.
• In cases where WPM is manufactured
with treated timber, a date code must
be applied by the manufacturer.
• Imported and WPM certified before
the implementation date will be exempted.
For more information contact your
nearest region:
Gauteng region
Mr Leponti Molepo,
Tel.: 011 9715119
Email: [email protected]
6
October 2015 DAFFnews No. 10
Kwazulu-Natal region
Ms Sylvia Ndlovu,
Tel.: 031 368 8540,
Email: [email protected]
Eastern Cape region
Mr Khuliso Mulaudzi
Tel.: 011 9715119
Email: Khuliso [email protected]
Western Cape region
Mr. Lonwabo Magadule
Tel.: 021 809 0218
Email: [email protected]
Departmental
Implementation of date codes
on wood packaging material
(Date of Treatment)
Examples of unacceptable marks
IPPC logo outside the leaf
Additional information within the
borders of the mark
Illegible
IPPC logo and the leaf on the wrong
side of the mark
Illegible, incomplete, hand drawn and
no border line separating logo from
country information
Incorrect shape, round instead of
square or rectangular
The mark
should be:
• Registered with DAFF-DIS.
• Legible, permanent and not
transferable.
• Placed in a visible location,
preferable on at least two
opposite sides.
• Rectangular or square in
shape.
• Surrounded by border line
with a vertical line separating IPPC logo from country
information.
• Must not be hand drawn.
• No other information shall
be contained within the borders of the mark.
• No variations in the symbol/
mark should be accepted.
• Traceability requirements
dates must be included on
certified wood packaging
material to correspond with
records, however it must
strictly be outside the borders of the mark.
• “DB” is no longer a requirement
The mark should consist of:
• The symbol – IPPC logo
• Country code – ZA
• Unique code allocated to
service provider
• Treatment code – MB/HT
No. 10 DAFFnews October 2015
7
Departmental
World Oceans Day
The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries, Senzeni Zokwana invited the members of the public and
media to celebrate World Oceans Day
and the launch of the Status of the
South African Marine Fisheries Resources report recently in Cape Town.
The minister, accompanied by the leaders of industry and DAFF fisheries leadership, held a commemoration of World
Oceans Day. The minister, in his address,
highlighted the development of more
marine scientists for the fisheries sector
for food security.
The presentation of The Status of the
South African Marine Fishery Resources
was presented by Dr Kim Prochaska, Director: Fisheries Research and Development.
The report is a biannual publication that
presents and summarises the current status
of South Africa’s fishery resources and the
status of the marine living resources in
seventeen fishery sectors in South Africa.
In her presentation, Dr Prochaska cov-
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October 2015 DAFFnews No. 10
ered a detailed overview on key fishery
resources such as the Cape hake, abalone
and the West Coast rock lobster.
She mentioned that many of our key
marine resources have been overfished in
the past therefore, rendering our resources
impoverished and catches are often far
less than what they could be and this could
be a challenge. However, the good news
is that wild fish stocks are not doomed to
dwindle down to nothing, but through wise
management, something can be done.
“By implementing resource recovery
plans, based on our experiences, we can
achieve gains that will make a significant
positive contribution to food security and
alleviate coastal poverty,’ said Prochaska
The Minister, in his closing remarks,
mentioned the importance of the marine economy and that fish supplies the
greatest percentage of the world’s protein consumed by humans, making the
ocean a significant component to food
security. Therefore, the sustainable use
and management of the oceans and its
resources are crucial to us and the future
generation.
“While research alone cannot prevent
stocks from crashing, it remains one of
the key components of the overall management system which includes resource
management and monitoring, control and
surveillance,” concluded the Minister.
After the closure, all invited guests were
given a guided tour of the Sarah Baartman—the vessel used for surveillance. It
carries 18 crew members, seven fishery
inspectors and four cadets. The vessel is
83 metres in length and has a beam of 13
metres. Its range is 7 500 nautical miles
at 15 knots and it can remain at sea for
up to 45 days.
By Musa Khumalo
Departmental
Send-off ceremony for Chinese
scholarship recipients
By Samuel Kgatla
The six chosen Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and China
scholarship recipients are geared-up
to study in China. This was witnessed
during the pre-departure orientation
workshop held at DAFF V-Block, AgriPlace on 1 September. The students
are going to further their studies at
three different universities such as
China Agricultural University (CAU),
Jilin Agricultural University (JAU)
and Nanjing Agricultural University
(NAU).
This is the fifth group of students to study
in China since the inception of the DAFFChina Scholarship Programme initiated by
DAFF in February 2010. The purpose is to
address the acute skills deficit and scarcity
of professionals and technical staff in the
agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors.
Mr Tinyiko Shuma, admitted for M.Sc in
Agricultural Economics and Management
in CAU; Ms Odeshne Moodley, admitted
for PhD Plant Pathology in JAU, Mr Vincent Vacu, admitted for Masters in Crop
Genetics and Breeding in JAU; Ms Lerato
Mabe, admitted for PhD in Acquaculture in
NAU, Mr Ntsako Nomvela, and Mr David
Leshaba, both admitted for M.Sc Acquaculture in NAU are the 2015 awardees of
DAFF-China scholarship. The students are
going to spend periods of two and three
years studying in China.
The Directorate: Sector Education and
Training organised the pre-departure
orientation session to share with the scholarship awardees about the student life in
China, what to expect, the do’s and don’ts,
the outline what the scholarship covers, to
provide background information on the
historical, political, traditional, social customs and climate conditions in China.
The Deputy Director-General for Food
Security and Agrarian Reform, Mr Mortimer Mannya, thanked China for agreeing
to partner with DAFF and help to build
South Africa.
“It is through these kind of partnerships
where we continue to invest and build our
country. As for the scholarship awardees,
just remember that this is not only about
you, but the country as a whole. We wish
you the best and always remember why we
sent you in China. Do what is best with
what you have when you are in China. I
believe we are not sending cry babies there
and we want to support you as much as
we want, but do us proud. Enjoy yourself
and help us to help this country with your
researches because all our confidence is
in you. China is also a big friend of South
Africa,” concluded Mannya.
The scholarship recipients left the country on 7 September.
Acting Dirctor-General, Mr Mortimer Mannya and Ms Lebo Botsheleng posing with Chinese delegates,
DAFF officials and scholars at the pre-departure orientation workshop.
No. 10 DAFFnews October 2015
9
Sector
Potatoes carry the Potential to
make a difference
According to the World
Food Bank, there are 11
million South Africans who
are living in extreme poverty and as a result, go
to bed hungry every single
day. Further reports reveal
that hunger kills more
people than AIDS, Malaria
and Tuberculosis combined.
In South Africa, where the
triple threat issues of poverty, unemployment and inequality continue to tarnish
the dignity of many peoples’ lives, the observance
of World Hunger Day is of
paramount importance.
“Not one South African
should go to bed hungry. For
as long as there are people
who, on a daily basis, are
burdened with the concern of
where their next meal is going
to come from, how can we
claim to be truly liberated?”
says Immaculate Zinde, Manager: Product Promotions,
Potatoes South Africa (PSA).
The potato industry is
alarmed by these statistics and
has pledged to show their support for the hungry and poor
of South Africa by way of donating R10 000 to the Africa
Children Feeding Scheme in Alexandra,
Johannesburg. In the true spirit of making
a difference and as so eloquently captured
in the phrase: “Give a man a fish, and you
feed him for a day; show him how to catch
fish, and you feed him for a lifetime,” on
28 May 2015, Potatoes South Africa will in
addition to donating money, also partner
with Anna Montali, South Africa’s leading
foodie, journalist, recipe developer and
food stylist, who will demonstrate at the
feeding scheme the value of incorporating
potatoes into a balanced, nutrient dense
and wholesome meal.
Claire Julsing Strydom, who is registered with the HPCSA and the American
10
October 2015 DAFFnews No. 10
Nutrition and Dietetic Academy and is the
current President for the Association for
Dietetics in South Africa, has volunteered
her time to educate, inform and impart
nutritional information that is crucial in
curbing food insecurity.
“The value of the potato is not only disregarded but highly underestimated. Potatoes
remain one of the most affordable and
accessible vegetables and starch on the
South African market. This is in line with
two of the Food Based Dietary Guidelines
of South Africa as prescribed by the Department of Health which state that South
Africans should:
“Make starchy food part of most meals:
a food-based dietary guideline for South
Africa”.
“Eat plenty of vegetables
and fruit every day: a foodbased dietary guideline for
South Africa
“ When prepared in a
healthy way, potatoes provide individuals with nutrients
while keeping them fuller
for longer,” says Zinde. Not
only are potatoes nutritious,
affordable, and socially acceptable, potatoes are already an integral part of the
global food system. They are
the world’s number one nongrain food commodity with
the primary potato industry
in South Africa contributing a
substantial R3,6 billion to the
South African economy.
“While we are mindful of
the fact that there are still
misconceptions around potato consumption as it relates
to nutrition and health, our
research shows that the average annual compounded
growth rate in the per capita
consumption of potatoes in
South Africa is between two
and three percent. Bottom
line—potatoes are still a very
important part of the South African shopping basket,” says Potatoes South Africa
CEO, Dr André Jooste.
Within the horticultural sector, potatoes
contribute 13 percent of the gross value,
making them the third biggest in the sector
after deciduous and tropical fruits, while it
boasts as the fifth biggest product in the
agricultural sector - excluding livestock.
“The primary industry provides between
60 000 and 80 000 casual and permanent jobs annually, affording people the
opportunity to earn a living, which provides
the opportunity to feed their families,”
says Jooste.
to p 11
Sector
from p 10
To many South Africans, a potato is a
vegetable and starch food on a plate. To
just over 640 of South African potato farmers and farm workers, it is a vital source
of income. For many nutritionists it is a
product that must form part and parcel of a
nutrient-dense and balanced diet. For PSA
employees it is a food crop that can address
the triple threat issues of poverty, unemployment and inequality. PSA is also initiating the Hunger Bust Campaign (#HBC) in observance of World Hunger Day. The #HBC challenges South African
retailers, fresh produce markets, processing
companies and any interested organisation
to match or better PSA’s donation by pledging monetary and other support to a charity
organisation of its choice. The campaign will
be launched on 28 May and end on World
Food Day, 16 October 2015.
For further information on the Hunger
Buster campaign, please contact Jean at
Storybook Communications on 021 975
3553 or jean@storybookcommunications.
co.za
The value of potatoes is not only disregarded but highly underestimated. Potatoes
remain one of the most affordable and accessible vegetables and starch on the
South African market.
Cape Wine 2015 reflects new era
for industry
Cape Wine 2015, September’s threeday showcase to the international wine
fraternity has proved the most successful exhibition of its kind to date, with the
number of visitors rising by 27% since
the previous show.
Held every three years, this year’s trade
fair drew 1 900 visitors from a total of
58 countries. Delegates included retailers, sommeliers, restaurateurs, hoteliers,
educators, wine critics and media who had
come to meet the 350 exhibiting producers
and taste their wines.
Siobhan Thompson, the CEO of Wines
of South Africa (WOSA) who organised
the event said: “The overriding impression
amongst guests was that South African
wine has assumed a new level of quality
and a clearly differentiated and distinctive
voice. Returning visitors who have been
following our progress over the years could
see the impact of the extensive innovation
in wine-growing and winemaking that
has been taking place. They consistently
remarked on how this has been translating
into greater confidence amongst exhibitors,
who are now more readily expressing what
is uniquely South African in their wines”.
In his opening address WOSA chairman
Michael Jordaan also highlighted the importance of innovation when he spoke of
South Africa being at a tipping point “where
all the cumulative innovations in the wine
industry would start showing.”
It was a view that resonated with many
of the delegates who had come to attend
what is the largest international wine trade
show in the Southern Hemisphere.
Thompson said while there had been
a strong turnout from traditional markets
across the European Union, especially from
Germany, the UK and the Scandinavian
bloc, and a larger contingent from the US
and Canada than in previous years, the
biggest percentage increases had come
from Asia and Africa.
“Of course, that’s from a lower base, but
it is encouraging to see that the enthusiasm
for the South African category is becoming more widespread. This will help us to
expand our geographic reach and begin
penetrating newer and more of the emerging markets.”
Asia had been particularly well-represented, she said, with visitors coming predominantly from China, Hong Kong and Japan.
Africa was represented mainly by delegates
from Nigeria, Angola and Ghana, while
several Brazilians were also amongst those
from emerging markets.
She said the mix of delegates had afforded exhibitors very good access to
influencers and decision makers.
Michael Franz, a US-based wine editor,
critic, educator and consultant to the restaurant trade, praised South Africa’s ability
to offer value across a spectrum of wine
prices and styles. “No other country comes
to mind that can as authentically straddle
the divide between the old and the new
worlds. You have the climatic capacity and
soil diversity to make distinctive, compelling
and appealing wines. South African Chardonnay retailing for US$17 is arguably the
best in the world at that price.”
No. 10 DAFFnews October 2015
11
Sector
Cedarville Protected
Environment declared
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) is
proud to announce the newly declared
Cedarville Protected Environment in
the Eastern Cape by the Eastern Cape
MEC for Economic Development and
Environmental Affairs, which borders
on the small rural town of Cedarville.
The quiet, roadside village of Cedarville in the Eastern Cape will never be
quite the same again.
Cobus Theron, the EWT’s African Crane
Conservation Programme’s, Drakensberg
Regional Coordinator, who led and facilitated this process over the last three
years explains: “Much emphasis has
historically been placed on the creation
of nature reserves as the only option to
conserve habitats. However, the reality is
that many conservation opportunities exist
on commercial agricultural farms and the
Protected Environment provides an ideal
framework to promote conservation within
and around the agricultural landscapes of
the Cedarville area.”
Most importantly, the declaration comes
in the wake of increased mining activity in
the area and the new status of the land will
secure this beautiful landscape for many
years to come. At almost 18 000 ha in
size, the Cedarville Protected Environment
is the third largest protected environment
declared in the Eastern Cape consisting
of privately owned land that forms part of
the Eastern Cape’s Biodiversity Stewardship Programme. This programme allows
private or communal landowners to enter
into a contractual agreement with government in which both parties undertake to
promote conservation of biodiversity and
ecosystem services, in this case, within
agricultural landscapes.
The Protected Environment will therefore
pave the way for the protection of certain
vegetation types and species that have up
until now received minimal protection in
this far flung corner of the Eastern Cape
interior. Iconic species such as the Blue
crane, Grey crowned crane, aardvark
and oribi, as well as threatened vegetation types such as the Mabela Sandy
12
October 2015 DAFFnews No. 10
Grassland will now enjoy far greater and
optimal protection in this new protected
environment. The African Crane Conservation Programme regards the Protected Environment as crucial for the conservation of
cranes. The large flat areas within the Protected Environment (known as the “Flats”)
serve as foraging grounds for large flocks
of Blue cranes and Grey crowned cranes,
while the more mountainous grassland
sections provide perfect summer breeding
grounds for Blue cranes. Many streams
that originate from here also feed small
wetlands which also provides suitable nesting sites for pairs of Grey Crowned Cranes.
The Protected Environment includes a wide
variety of habitats that include grasslands,
thicket and wetlands that serve as the
water factory for the mighty Umzimvubu
River. “We anticipate that in time, additional landowners will join the programme
to ultimately form a conservation corridor
between the Cedarville Protected Environment and the Matatiele Nature Reserve in
the west.” remarked Theron.
Much of the area under the Cedarville
Protected Environment previously formed
part of the Cedarville Conservancy. According to Gerbrand Nel, one of the farmers who participated in the process, “stepping up to Protected Environment seemed
like the next logical step”. “I urge everyone
to make a trip to Cedarvile to experience
the beauty and scenery of this special
corner of our country.” Concludes Cobus.
The African Crane Conservation Programme is a partnership between the
Endangered Wildlife Trust and the International Crane Foundation (ICF). The programme focusses on securing and improving the conservation status of Africa’s four
resident crane species and the wetland
and grassland habitats upon which they
depend. This is achieved through actions
to reduce threats to the species and their
habitats, by working closely with local
communities and key stakeholders to
manage catchments sustainably for both
people and cranes, and empowering individuals and organisations to implement
conservation action.
For further information about the African
Crane Conservation Programme and the
declaration of the Cedarville Protected
Environment visit www.ewt.org.za.