Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Comment has been invited on the proposed introduction of a separate per hectare statutory levy on deciduous fruit in specific production regions in order to fund the continuation and expansion of the Mediterranean fruit fly control programme.
Details of the proposed levy can be found in notice 47 of Government Gazette 34963 dated 27 January 2012.
The deadline for written submissions is 10 February 2012.
Section 10 of Marketing of Agricultural Products Act 47 of 1996 allows directly affected groups to apply to the minister to establish one or more statutory measures. Consequently, existing statutory measures and related levies on deciduous fruit remain unchanged.
According to the notice, once implemented the levy would affect the areas of Langkloof, Blouputs, Elgin, Grabow, Vyebloom, Villiersdorp, Hemel-en-Aarde, Ceres (Warm Bokkeveld), Wolseley, Tulbagh and the Hex River Valley.
It would apply − amongst others − to producers, traders, agents, exporters and export inspecting bodies.
Once implemented the programme would:
• monitor and control phytosanitary pests;
• reduce the use of synthetic pesticides;
• reduce insect resistance to pesticides; and
• reduce pesticide residues.
These issues are of particular importance to consumers in South Africa’s export markets for deciduous fruit.
The levy would also cover the cost of aerial bating.
Published in the same Government Gazette in notice 48 is an invitation from the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) to register as a directly affected group in terms of the act.
According to the notice, the term ‘directly affected group’ refers to any group of persons party to the production, sale, purchase, processing or consumption of an agricultural product, including labour employed in production or processing.
The NAMC is updating its register for each commodity in the agricultural sector. This register is used “to bring applications for statutory measures”.
Sabinet Cape Town Office
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