GM-Maize-Report

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Maize meal brand popularity by first language’Source: South African Audience Research FoundationMaize meal brand popularity by LSM groupSource: South African Audience Research FoundationGM Maize: Lessons for Africa 39
White Star is comfortably the market leaderin LSM 1–6; it scored 36.7% compared to Ace,the next highest, at 18.3%. However, thereis a noticeable drop-off in the higher LSMs.In LSM 10, for example, it only scored 8.8%,compared to Ace (the most popular brand inthis segment), who scored 15.9%. Both Ace andIwisa appear to have relatively stable marketshares across all LSM groups (their decline inresponses in the higher LSM groups broadlycorrelating with a general decline in maizemeal purchases in the higher LSMs). Alsointeresting to note is the clear lead in marketshare enjoyed by Premier Foods’ combinedbrands in LSM 9 and 10.CONCLUSIONThe opening up of South Africa’s agriculturalsector has not been the boon to consumers asportrayed by their own marketing campaigns,or the business friendly media. With thehelp of the last apartheid government, largeparts of South African agriculture were ableto reposition themselves to enter the newdispensation in a much stronger position.The entire maize value chain has beencommandeered by a select group of companiesand individuals who continue to squeezethe poorest in our nation in the name of freeenterprise and aspirations of attaining ‘worldclass’ status among their international peers.inequalities and secure a just and equitableeconomic future for us all. We therefore call forthe following:• A paradigm shift in agricultural researchand development in South Africa towardsfarmer controlled seed breeding and sharingof germplasm, anchored in agro-ecologicalmethodoligies;• A ban on all further cultivation of geneticallymodified (GM) crops in South Africa, and useof their associated pesticides;• The South African government to workhand in hand with local communities andother members of civil society to reverse theshockingly high economic concentration inthe maize value chain, through the creationof de-centralsied, locally owned maizestorage, milling and retaling operations;• The Competition Commission of South Africato continue its investigations and to be giventhe full political backing to reign in the powerof the South African agribusiness sector;• The Department of Trade and Industry tocontinue to support the creation of a smallscalemilling industry in South Africa;• Organisations representing the genuineinterests of South African consumers to beafforded equal representation and accessto decision making processes as industryaligned bodies;Given this, it should come as little surprisethat South Africa is the only country in theworld that eats a genetically modified varietyof its staple food and, for the poorest, thereis no alternative choice. The stance taken byagribusiness, including the largest millingcompanies, in trying to derail the labelling lawprocess and, even more callously, refusing toeven countenance the provision of a non-GMalternative.Having already gorged their profit margins onthe poorest of the poor in South Africa, thesecorporate giants are now glancing covetouslyto the potential vast African market north ofthe Limpopo. Experiences from South Africashould serve as a stark warning.Urgent action is needed to reverse thiseconomic concentration, to address historical40 AFRICAN CENTRE FOR BIOSAFETY
Page 1 and 2: GM Maize:lessons forAfricacartels,
Page 3: The African Centre for Biosafety (A
Page 6 and 7: industries in South Africa and GM l
Page 8 and 9: South Africa remains the only count
Page 10 and 11: most important early role in Africa
Page 12 and 13: significant changes in the finance
Page 14 and 15: up domestic grain market by impleme
Page 16 and 17: The South African maize seed market
Page 18 and 19: Concentration in the South African
Page 20 and 21: Operatives Act, competition was pro
Page 22 and 23: to the vagaries of the wider econom
Page 24 and 25: The South African maize to super-ma
Page 26 and 27: Can small scale millers reduce maiz
Page 28 and 29: GM maize in South AfricaSeasonGM se
Page 30 and 31: ACB GMO testing on food products in
Page 32 and 33: Premier FoodsThe Premier Foods stor
Page 34 and 35: YearTotalGroupturnoverAftertaxprofi
Page 36 and 37: • 51% the East African Group base
Page 38 and 39: investment arm of Grain Trader Suid
Page 42 and 43: Annex 1Field trials for GM maize va
Page 44 and 45: 43 Pray, C., Gisselquist, D., Nagar
Page 46 and 47: http://gmwatch.org/index.php/news/a
Page 48 and 49: http://www.africantrader.co/website
Page 50: PO Box 29170, Melville 2109, South

GM-Maize-Report

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