Date: 28/08/2009

Source: Freedom Front Plus

Title: SA: Mulder: Speech by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries at the opening of the Pretoria show

Programme Director,
Exhibitors,
Members of the media,
Distinguished Guest,
Ladies and Gentlemen

I feel privileged to address you at the official opening of the 70th Pretoria Show - this event is so rich in history and built on such strong foundations that it deserves its place as one of the country's biggest entertainment events. The Show's programme and diverse attractions will ensure that visitors, exhibitors and service providers who seek leisure and great shopping opportunities, will converge in the capital city during the next 10 days.

Seventy years ago, in 1939, before the Second World War, the local farming community gathered on the lawns of the old City Hall in Pretorius Street to display and sell their products. After the war the produce was displayed on the lawns of the City Hall in Paul Kruger Street. The event continued to grow and attract an increasing number of exhibitors, which necessitated the relocation of the Show to a bigger venue.

In 1954 the Show moved to its current location in Pretoria West. The tin and wooden houses on the grounds, which were vacated after the troops were demobilised after the war, were demolished and rebuilt with bricks. Soon the 4 000 square metre Skilpad Hall was built - then the largest hall in Africa unsupported by pillars, to be followed by Hall B. The annual event continued to grow in leaps and bounds and ultimately doubled its former size to the present 39-hectare Tshwane Events Centre.

The Show exhibited mainly Industrial and Commercial products until 1962. A turning point came when Agriculture became a separate division in its own right to truly make the Show representative of the country's economy.

This is the story of the Pretoria Show's growth - from humble beginnings in 1939 to an annual event attracting hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country and even internationally.

The economic spin-offs of the Pretoria Show are estimated at more than R50m and this will also benefit the City's Gross Geographical Product. The Pretoria Show has become renowned as a festival of diversity, culture and lifestyle, and a celebration of the legacy that is South African agriculture.

This Show boasts more than 42 000 square meters of undercover exhibition halls, 30 000 square meters of outside exhibition space, arenas, an amusement park, kiddies area and food courts. Some 500 commercial exhibitors, including importers of international goods, ensure super shopping specials in more than 200 product categories, ranging from sport, motor vehicles, home ware, appliances and educational products to furniture, boats and caravans. This means we can anticipate hundreds of thousands of visitors, as usual.

The Agricultural Division of the Pretoria Show today is arguably the largest of its kind south of the Sahara. More than 30 years ago, Dr. Nico Schutte, renowned cattle judge and President of the Pretoria Show for many years, said that the Show is the show window of stud cattle in South Africa and the cradle of stud breeding in Africa. Today, one of the most important events on the livestock calendar is the Agricultural Research Council's Platinum Performance Awards. Although the winners of these awards are not necessarily the top achievers of their breeds, the awards fill a gap in the area of performance testing, namely linking a bull's official growth rate with the fertility status of his mother - an important aspect of animal improvement.

The Show this year will also see the International Alzu World Cup Qualifying Round for show jumping, with competitors from countries such as New Zealand and Holland. There are also a few breeds making their show debut at the Tshwane Events Centre this year, including the Hugenot Cattle Breed, the Emu (the Australian "ostrich") and Savanna goats. Add to that the participants in all the other sections of the agricultural show - the pigs, goats, sheep, fancy pigeons and poultry - and a total of nearly 5 000 animals will be competing in a variety of championships.

We as visitors are not only privileged to see some of the top stud animals in our country, but we can also experience the future of agriculture in South Africa and Gauteng, being showcased as part of the pavilion of the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Today, the Show continues to grow in popularity, and its two main divisions, the Commercial & Industrial Division and the Agricultural Division, contribute to making the Pretoria Show the biggest combined commercial and agricultural consumer show in the country.

In hierdie opsig is die skou 'n trotse vertoonvenster van die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie - maar ook spesifiek van Suid-Afrikaanse boere se landbouprestasies onder baie moeilike omstandighede.

Ek is trots op die prestasies van Suid-Afrika se kommersiële boere soos hierdie skou so duidelik illustreer. Die afgelope tien jaar is veral Suid-Afrika se kommersiële boere onnodig afgemaak, gekritiseer en vir alle probleme in die landbou geblameer. Vir te lank het daar 'n konfrontasie verhouding tussen die regering en die kommersiële boere bestaan. Dit moet verander. Gaan kyk na lande waar die landbou baie suksesvol is. In daardie lande is daar altyd 'n positiewe vennootskapverhouding tussen die regering en die boere.

In Suid-Afrika word die kommersiële boere nog te maklik as die probleem en nie as deel van die oplossing gesien nie. Dit hou veral verband met eensydige media- en propaganda-persepsies wat geskep word. As daar iewers op 'n plaas 'n rassevoorval is, word dit op 'n onbillike wyse op alle boere geprojekteer. Die feit dat landbouleiers en georganiseerde landbou sulke voorvalle skerp veroordeel en kritiseer, word geïgnoreer ten gunste van veralgemenings dat alle boere selfsugtig is, alle boere ander onderdruk en alle boere ander uitbuit. My ervaring die afgelope tyd is presies die teenoorgestelde met boere en landbou-organisasies wat met allerlei projekte uitreik en bereid is om te help waar hulle kan.

Voedselsekuriteit was een van die agendapunte by die onlangse G8 beraad in Italië en word wêreldwyd skielik weer op die agenda geplaas waar daar oor die toekoms gepraat word. Enige iemand wat in Suid-Afrika oor voedselsekuriteit praat en die kommersiële boere uitsluit, is onrealisties en weet nie waarvan hy/sy praat nie.

Daarom is die kommersiële boere en die opkomende boere van die belangrikste rolspelers om van landbou in Suid-Afrika 'n sukses te maak, voedselsekuriteit te waarborg en politieke stabiliteit te verseker. Suksesvolle opkomende boere is nodig vir politieke stabiliteit en suksesvolle kommersiële boere is nodig vir voedselsekuriteit. Die groot uitdaging in die volgende paar jaar gaan wees om die regte balans tussen hierdie rolspelers te kry.

Verantwoordelike vennootskappe tussen kommersiële- en opkomende boere kan baie van die huidige probleme aanspreek. Verantwoordelike vennootskappe behels egter begrip vir die verwagtinge van opkomende boere aan die een kant maar ook begrip vir die probleme en onsekerhede van kommersiële boere aan die ander kant.

'n Kommersiële boer keer my onlangs voor en kritiseer my dat ek net praat van opkomende en kommersiële boere. Volgens hom is daar naas kommersiële- en opkomende boere ook nog 'n derde groep boere naamlik "ondergaande kommersiële boere"! Dit moet nie uit die oog verloor word nie.

Van die probleme en onsekerhede van boere waarvoor daar ook begrip moet wees is onder andere verhoogde insetkostes en lae winsgewendheid; ondoeltreffende steunstelsels; volhoubare hulpbronbestuur en veral veiligheid en sekuriteit.

With the 2010 Soccer World Cup fast approaching, it is important that the carbon footprint and environmental impact of large events such as the Pretoria Show be minimised. It is gratifying indeed to know that the organisers of the Pretoria Show are pro-actively addressing this challenge.

For the fifth consecutive year, a committed focus is placed on the greening of the Pretoria Show and huge progress has been made to reduce the impact of this event on the environment. In partnership with the Metro City of Tshwane, Collect-a-Can, Coca-Cola and the Plastics Federation, more than 8 tons of animal waste and bedding will be removed - not to landfill sites as before, but converted into compost on site. This initiative will result in the creation of sustainable and temporary employment, with 60 people directly benefiting through this employment creation. Since 2003 the Tshwane Events Centre has also planted nearly 500 indigenous trees to ensure a more economic approach to water usage, most of the halls have been refitted with energy saving light bulbs, and two boreholes have been put to good use to reduce water usage from municipal sources.

This year, a new partnership was formed with Moonprint Concerts for the Earth, a company that assists festivals and events to recycle and to establish permanent recycling facilities to help people in the area to recycle their own household waste. Moonprint Concerts for the Earth is facilitating the recycling of glass, paper, plastic, polystyrene and cans during the Pretoria Show. Local cleaners were trained to separate dry and wet waste, and then to sort it into the various bins for recycling.

In addition to the organic waste I referred to earlier, more than 9 tons of inorganic waste is expected to be generated during the 2008 Pretoria Show. Given the recycling initiative, this waste will not end up in landfill areas either.

On the commercial side, I have heard that that there are a number of new exhibitors participating in this year's show, increasing the variety of offerings to visitors. A certain highlight will be the return of the Department of Defence, represented by the SA Army, SA Air Force, SA Navy and the SA Military Health Services.

This year is truly a diamond celebration for the Pretoria Show, and with the abundance of entertainment on offer, the 2009 Pretoria Show has all the ingredients to make this a most memorable experience.

I wish you all the best for your event.

I now declare the 2009 Pretoria Show officially open.