Speaker, omtrent 'n jaar gelede is die Minister van Handel en Nywerheid deur die tersaaklike organisasies in landbou genader om 'n besluit te neem oor die invoertariewe op koring. Die Minister van Landbou, Bosbou en Visserye het nie juis die saak aangeblaas nie, en dit het ses maande geduur voordat 'n besluit geneem is.
Die besluit was geneem ten tyde van die departementele begroting, nadat die DA die agb Minister van Landbou, Bosbou en Visserye daaraan herinner het dat planttyd reeds begin het, en oor 'n maand sou klaar wees. Die uiteindelike tariefverhoging was te min en te laat, en die kommersile produsente het nog steeds 'n prys gekry wat laer as produksiekoste was.
Dit is nou weer daardie tyd van die jaar, en almal is angstig om te sien of die agb Minister gaan onthou dat daar produsente is wat die nasie moet voed. Kom ons kyk hierdie keer hoe lank dit gaan neem om 'n tarief vas te stel en of dit genoeg gaan wees om die koringproduksie winsgewend te maak.
Vir diegene wat dink dat koring altyd ingevoer kan word om tekorte aan te vul, let op die volgende: ingevoerde koring van 'n swak gehalte veroorsaak baie probleme in die meulenaars- en bakkerybedryf, want dit moet met Suid- Afrikaanse koring van 'n beter graad vermeng word en die meel wil nie behoorlik rys nie. Hoe meer boere ophou koring plant, hoe erger gaan die probleem word.
Daar is toenemende vrees onder ontwikkelende lande dat daar aan die einde van die volgende dekade wreldwyd 'n tekort aan voedsel gaan wees. Daar is reeds 'n miljard honger mense op die aarde, en oor 10 jaar moet daar nog 'n miljard gevoed word. Dit moet geskied teen toenemende produksiekostes wreldwyd. Baie mense gaan dus nie kos kan bekostig nie. As die lede van hierdie Huis dink lande kan orals ... Dankie, Speaker. [Tyd verstreke.] (Translation of Afrikaans member's statement follows.)
[Mr N D DU TOIT (DA): Speaker, approximately one year ago the Minister of Trade and Industry was approached by the relevant agricultural organisations to make a decision regarding wheat import tariffs. The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries did not show much enthusiasm, and it took six months for a decision to be made.
The decision was made during the departmental budget, after the DA reminded the hon Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries that the planting season had already begun, and would finish within a month. The eventual tariff increase was too little and too late, and the commercial producers still had to sell at a price lower than their production costs.
It is that time of year once again, and everyone is anxiously waiting to see whether the hon Minister will remember that there are producers who have to feed the nation. Let us see how long it will take to determine a tariff this time and whether it will be enough to make wheat production profitable.
Those who think that wheat can always be imported to make up for shortages, should note the following: Imported wheat of a poor quality causes many problems in the milling and baking industries, because it has to be mixed with the higher-grade South African wheat and the flour does not rise properly. The more farmers stop planting wheat, the worse the problem will become.
There is an increasing fear amongst developing countries that at the end of the next decade there will be a shortage of food globally. There are a billion hungry people on earth already, and within 10 years another billion will have to be fed. This has to take place at increasing production costs worldwide. Many people will therefore not be able to afford food. If the members of this House think that countries can ... Thank you, Speaker. [Time expired.]]