ATC140313: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on the Oversight visit to the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and the Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) in Pretoria, Gauteng Province, dated 11 March 2014.
Agriculture
REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES
ON THE OVERSIGHT VISIT TO THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (ARC) AND THE ONDERSTEPOORT
BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS (OBP) IN PRETORIA, GAUTENG PROVINCE, DATED 11 MARCH 2014.
The Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries, having undertaken an oversight visit to the ARC and OBP in the Gauteng
Province from 4 to 5 February 2014, reports as follows:
1.
Background
The
Agricultural Research Council (hereinafter referred to as ARC) and the
Onderstepoort
Biological Products (hereinafter referred to
as OBP) are public entities that reports directly to the Department of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (hereinafter referred to as the Department).
The ARC was established in terms
of Section 2 of the Agricultural Research Act, 1990 (Act No. 86 of 1990). It is
the principal agricultural research institution in the county that provides
agricultural research and technology development to support the agricultural
community. The OBP was established in terms of the
Onderstepoort
Biological Products Incorporation Act, 1999 (Act No. 19 of 1999) and its
mandate is to manufacture veterinary vaccines and related products to prevent
and control animal diseases that impact on food security, human health and
livelihoods.
For
the past two financial years, i.e. 2011/12 and 2012/13 the Portfolio Committee
observed that there was little collaboration between the ARC and OBP on
research activities on livestock diseases and vaccine improvement; and the
Committee was particularly concerned with outbreaks of diseases of economic
importance that sometimes lead to the banning of South African products in some
export markets, e.g. foot-and-mouth disease, avian influenza, citrus black
spot, etc.
The Committee also observed
that both entities, the OBP being a national key point, were also not getting
sufficient Government funding to address challenges associated with outbreaks
of diseases. Based on these observations, the Portfolio Committee recommended that
the Department ensures that there is collaboration between the ARC and OBP on
livestock disease-related programmes; and to consider increasing funding for
the ARC and OBP, particularly for the refurbishment of research facilities and
aged infrastructure.
1.1.
Objective of the
Visit
Part
of the oversight responsibilities of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries over the work of the Department and its entities is to
examine the Strategic Plans and associated Annual Performance Plans (APPs), as
well as budgets of the Department and its six entities. In the 2010/11
financial year, additional funding was allocated to the ARC for the
establishment of a state of the art foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) Facility for
research on, and the manufacturing of, FMD vaccines. In 2012/13, the OBP
received funding from National Treasury for upgrading and
modernising
the vaccine manufacturing facilities. The Committee took a resolution to
undertake an oversight visit to the ARC and OBP to oversee progress in the
establishment of the FMD Facility at the ARC, the vaccine manufacturing
facilities at OBP and further progress regarding other Committee
recommendations as outlined in the
Committees 2011/12 and 2012/13 Budget Review and Recommendation Reports (BRRRs).
1.2.
Delegation
The
delegation of the Committee composed of Mr M Johnson, ANC (Chairperson and Leader
of the delegation); Ms NM
Twala
, ANC; Ms RE
Nyalungu
, ANC, Ms ME
Pilusa-Mosoane
,
ANC and Ms
A
Steyn, DA. The delegation was supported
by Ms
A
Kakaza, Committee Secretary; Ms N
Mgxashe
, Content Advisor, Ms N
Qwabe
,
Committee Researcher (Agriculture and Forestry) and Ms N
Diya
,
Committee Assistant.
2.
ENGAGEMENT DURING OVERSIGHT VISIT
The Agricultural Research Council (ARC)
The
following officials were in attendance:
Agricultural
Research Council (ARC)
: Dr SR
Moephuli
, Chief
Executive Officer; Dr MS
Jeenah
, Executive Director:
Research and Technology Development; Dr L Heath, Programme Manager; Dr P
Majiwa
, Programme Manager (ARC-OVI); Dr BA
Lubisi
, Project Manager-Virology (ARC-OVI); Dr J Rees,
Head: Biotechnology Platform (ARC-OVI); Dr M
Mulumba
,
Research Institute Manager (ARC-OVI); Isaac
Ntshauba
,
Public Relations Officer (ARC-OVI);
Edzani
Nephalela
, Public Relations Intern (ARC-OVI); Benjamin
Molefe, Financial Manager (ARC-OVI); Dr M
Maila
,
Research Institute Manage: Institute for Soil, Climate and Water (ARC-ISCW); Dr
D Turner, Programme Manger (ARC-ISCW; Dr M
Tsubo
,
Programme Manager (ARC-ISCW); Dr GJ
Chirima
, Acting
Programme Manager (ARC-ISCW); Dr E
Mwendera
,
Programme Manager (ARC-ISCW); Mr J Malherbe, Researcher (ARC-ISCW);
Christien
Engelbrecht
, Researcher
(ARC-ISCW); Dr B
Greyling
, Programme Manager: Beef
Cattle Improvement: Animal Production Institute (API); Prof M
Scholtz
, Specialist Researcher: Animal Production Institute
(API); Mr H
Weepener
, Programme Manager (ARC-ISCW);
Dr M
Moeletsi
, Programme Manager (ARC-ISCW); Dr A
Magadlela
, Research Institute Manager (ARC-API); Dr S
Venter, Programme Manager (ARC-API), Dr I du
Plooy
Programme Manager: Vegetable and Ornamental Plants Institute; Dr P
Adebola
, Programme Manger: Vegetable and Ornamental Plants
Institute; Mr D
Motiang
, Manager: ARC-API; Prof TL
Nedambale
, Programme Manager (ARC-API); Dr B
Nengovhela
, Senior Researcher (ARC-API); Dr N
Maiwashe
, Programme Manager (ARC-API);
Moks
Mothobela
, Manager (API).
National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF)
: Dr
BM
Modisane
, Chief Director: Animal Production &
Health (APH); Dr S Mkhize, Director: Provincial & State Owned Entities (SOEs)
Performance Monitoring; Mr MJ Mamabolo, Director: Animal Production; Ms
Dikeledi
Mabogoane
, Monitoring
and Evaluation Officer; Mr S
Kgatla
, Principal
Communication Officer; Ms N
Mafani
, Parliamentary
Coordinator: Office of the Director-General.
Overview of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and
Onderstepoort
Veterinary Institute (OVI)
The delegation was welcomed by the Chief Executive
Officer (CEO), Dr SR
Moephuli
. After a brief
introduction the CEO gave a background on the ARC including its mission and
vision, as well as the OVI. Dr
Moephuli
mentioned
that the ARC-OVI does needs-driven research, technology transfer and also
provides diagnostic services. He highlighted that there is no competition
between OVI and OBP but the two institutes work in collaboration. The OVI does
vaccine development research and also manufactures a limited number of vaccines
as part of its research activities. He mentioned that the ARC-OVI strives to be
a world-class veterinary research institute in providing scientific support to
the South African agricultural sector.
2.1 The overview of the ARC -
Onderstepoort
Veterinary Institute (OVI) activities, achievements and challenges
Dr L Heath, the Programme Manager for OVI presented
the overview of the ARC-OVI activities, achievements and challenges. He
mentioned that the research focus areas of the Institute are on new generation
vaccine development; molecular epidemiology and diagnostics; food, feed and
veterinary public health;
transboundary
animal
diseases and parasites, vectors and vector-borne diseases.
He mentioned that some of the challenges experienced
by the ARC are increased competition from private commercial diagnostic
companies; recruitment and retention of technical staff; maintenance and
expansion of infrastructure; as well as increased requirement for specialised
infrastructure (e.g. mad cow disease laboratories and keeping the Biological
Safety Level 3).
Dr Heath highlighted the development of the foot-and-mouth
disease (FMD) vaccine factory as one of the achievements. He said the ARCs
vaccine facility at
Ondertepoort
was built in the
early 1980s as a national strategic facility for the production of vaccines,
diagnosis and research on
transboundary
animal
diseases. He mentioned that the FMD vaccine production declined over the past
decades and was suspended in 2005. In 2010, the National Treasury approved
funding of R220 million to establish a new state-of-the-art FMD vaccine
factory. The project has three objectives, namely:
§
The development of a production process based on suspension cell culture
technologies;
§
The design of a vaccine factory to accommodate the production process;
and
§
The construction of a new factory.
Dr Heath reported that to date a production process
has been developed that is capable of consistently producing FMD vaccine
antigens that will be used in the formulation of the FMD vaccine. He further
reported that the design of the new factory is underway with construction
anticipated to commence in July 2014. He said the ARC has established a
training programme to develop the Human Resource (HR) capacity that is required
in operating the new facility and eight students were enrolled in the programme
during 2013; and the ARC is planning to develop downstream processing
capabilities to maximise vaccine output.
Future activities include the production of FMD vaccine that will be supplied
to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) for use in the
2015 national vaccination campaign. The construction and validation of the new
factory is expected to be completed in 2016 and the new factory will have
sufficient capacity to meet the national and regional vaccine requirements.
Veterinary Diagnostics at ARC-OVI
Dr P
Majiwa
, the Manager for
Molecular Epidemiology and Diagnostics Programme at ARC-OVI explained that the
purpose of the diagnostic services is to improve and apply routine and novel
diagnostic tests as required by clients. The tests reveal the presence of an
agent that is responsible for a particular disease in an animal, identify if an
animal has been exposed to an agent responsible for a particular disease, and reveal
presence of contaminants in food or food products derived from animals. Dr
Majiwa
reported that approximately 270 different tests are
done by competent technical staff under professional supervision on different
sample types; and the exact numbers of tests vary with seasons throughout each
year. He mentioned that some of the industries that are supported by the Institute
are the red meat (beef, mutton, and embryos), poultry (chickens and ostriches),
pigs, wildlife and tourism (buffalo relocation etc.), as well as companion and
work animals (horses, dogs and cats).
Overview of the Biotechnology Platform
Dr J Rees, the Head of the Biotechnology Platform gave
a brief overview of the Biotechnology Platform. The presentation focused on the
services provided and the research facilities model that includes the unit,
core services, development group, research teams within the Platform and
research teams at Institutes. Dr Rees mentioned that the ARCs Biotechnology
Platform at OVI has the biggest DANA Sequencer in Africa that has the ability
to sequence data for 10 human genomes every 6 days. However, the equipment will
be sequencing livestock and plant genomes including livestock pathogen genomics
and plant pathogen genomics.
The delegation was taken for a tour of the ARC-OVI facilities. The
facilities tour also included visits to the largest tick museum in the world,
the Gertrude Theiler Tick Museum and the Monument of Dr
Jotello
Soga, who was the fourth son of Reverend
Tiyo
Soga.
Dr
Jotello
Soga was the first black veterinarian in
South Africa and a pioneer in veterinary research.
2.2 ARC - Institute for Soil, Climate and Water (ISCW)
Dr M
Maila
, the Research
Institute Manager (RIM) from ISCW welcomed the delegation and gave an overview
of the Institute. He mentioned that the vision of the Institute is to promote
the sustainable management and optimum use of agricultural natural resources,
soil, climate and water through basic and action oriented research; technology
development; technology transfer and scientific services. He mentioned that programmes
and scientific services to facilitate the mission of the ARC-ISCW mission
include Agro climatology, Geo Informatics, Soil and Water Sciences as well as scientific
services such as climate monitoring and advisories, analytical services and
advisories and land suitability studies. Dr
Maila
reported that the ARC-ISCW is responsible for the countrys climate and crop
modelling and is managing 600 weather stations throughout the country.
He reported that the activities of the ARC-ISCWs Agro
climatology Programme include climate monitoring, climate and crop modelling,
weather dissemination (through radio, television, cellular phones) and
scientific advisories, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission monitoring and climate
change adaptation and mitigation. He mentioned that the ISCW has been given the
responsibility by DAFF to do research on climate adaptation.
He reported that the Institutes Geo Informatics
Programme is involved in using satellite imagery to predict crop yields,
disease or pest outbreaks, crop stress, early warnings,
water
quality and land/crop suitability.
Dr
Maila
further reported
that the ARC-ISCWs Soil Science Programme is involved in providing soil
information and doing land evaluation for a variety of clients ranging from
commercial to small-scale farmers.
The
Institutes Water Science Programme is involved in water quality management in agro-ecological
systems, efficient utilisation of water in
rainfed
and irrigated agricultural systems, forestry and livestock production systems,
sustainable management of water resources in wetlands to enhance ecosystem
health and functioning, assessment of climate change impacts on water and
agro-ecological systems. He also reported that the ARC-ISCW has an Analytical Services
Laboratory for soil and plant analyses, water analyses and specialist
inorganic/biological analyses.
Dr
Maila
mentioned that challenges
and major internal constraints at ISCW are:
-
human capacity i.e. lack of critical mass of scientists to deliver
on focus areas;
-
lack of funding to effectively run the climate monitoring
infrastructure;
-
updating and maintenance of the soil information system;
-
maintenance of analytical services laboratory infrastructure;
-
lack of land and buildings; and
-
limited
funding for research.
Agricultural Geo-referenced Information System (AGIS)
Dr George
Chirima
, the
Acting Programme Manager for AGIS explained that AGIS is a collaborative computer
system initiative between DAFF, provincial Departments of Agriculture and the ARC.
The purpose of AGIS is to provide vast amounts
of agricultural information to the farmers such as soils, weeds, locust
outbreaks, invasive plants, etc. He reported that AGIS also provides
information through dynamic maps to the general public, the agricultural sector
and decision makers via the internet. The reported key challenges of the system
were that it has become a large project that needs continuous effort to keep it
up to date; limited funding from DAFF; and several private companies also
setting up parallel systems. He concluded that despite the challenges, there is
a need for an enhanced and collaborative Government-funded system, as rural and
developing farmers may never get access to expensive privately-owned
information systems.
Soil Science Programme: Land Use and Mapping
The Programme Manager, Dr Dave Turner briefed the
delegation on the Soil Science Programme and field applications. The
presentation focused on soil classification, soil suitability assessments, soil
databases (soil profile information system, land type information system, text and
spatial maps, detailed digital map information, derived products applications,
etc.). Dr Turner also highlighted the land type maps inventory such as spatial
and property components, and inventory based descriptions with soils of
different potentials in one area. He made an example of application products from
soil and land information in the Eastern Cape Province. Dr Turner also
mentioned the Agricultural Master Plan, which is a soil mapping of agricultural
land project,
through which they run the
Agri
-Parks Project that is commissioned by the
Department of Rural Development and Land Reform in five provinces, namely,
Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West (14 District
Municipalities in total).
The following challenges and future needs in the Soil Science
Programme were reported:
-
Progressive soil coverage of high potential
agricultural land at detailed scales.
-
Revitalisation of the ARC-wide Natural Resource
Information Systems (soil, climate).
-
Revised Business Model with Parliamentary Grant
and External Income
-
Revised perspective on Intellectual Property and
Information Accessibility to the public.
-
Succession Planning and Training of staff in soil
science and information system applications.
Soil
and Water Management
Dr Emmanuel
Mwendera
, the
Programme Manager for Soil and Water Management reported that the key national
water issues and challenges in the country include limited water quantity,
increasing and competing demand for water, water pollution, food insecurity,
wetland degradation, impact of climate variability and change and water
governance issues. He said the impact of climate change in the country result
in increased water
demand,
reduces water availability,
reduces agricultural production and food security. He highlighted some agricultural
water management projects that have been developed to address the water through
the Conservation Agriculture and Rainwater Harvesting for Improved Productivity
and Food Security Programme. He mentioned that through the programme, rainfall
water that is normally lost through runoff is now collected and used
productively for crop production. He reported that more than 1 400 households
in 42 rural communities in the Free State, 8 rural communities in the Eastern
Cape and 19 rural communities in the Limpopo Provinces have improved their food
security by adopting the Rainwater Harvesting technology.
Climate Change and Communities
Dr M
Tsubo
, the Programme
Manager for Climate Change and Communities reported about a case study that is funded
by DAFF on mitigation and adaptation to climate variability and change in the
Thabo Mofutsanyane District Municipality in eastern Free State. He said the
main objectives of the project are to introduce and encourage agricultural
practices that are potentially capable of mitigating climate change and
adapting to adverse effects of climate change, to raise awareness and conduct
training on climate variability and climate change in rural agricultural
communities and to introduce and encourage farmers to shift to conservation
agriculture practices with the emphasis on minimal mechanical soil disturbance
and diversified cropping. He reported that approximately 25 youth from
surrounding project areas were trained and hired to install the
biodigester
systems for the project.
Dr
Tsubo
mentioned that the Project
assisted farmers to reduce the impact of
agroclimatological
risks on their productivity through the use of
agrometeorology
information. The Project also assisted ISCW to develop a mechanism for the
dissemination of weather and climate forecasts to farmers to support their
daily activities and to advise farmers on the day-to-day management of their
fields based on the weather and climate information.
A Climate Awareness Campaign was also held in
secondary schools in the Free State Province to improve learner understanding
of weather and climate as they are taught in Geography.
A range of jobs and other economic developing
opportunities were created through the project such as the use of local
labourers for
biodigester
installation; procurement
of local caterers during project gathering and events, use of local tractors
and equipment, use of local communities to maintain Project trials (for
example, with weeding) and use of local labour in fencing the trial plots.
Drought Management and Monitoring
Mr Johan Malherbe, a researcher at the ARC-ISCW
reported that the ARC supports regional drought monitoring initiatives through the
maintenance of a network of climate monitoring stations, maintenance of the database
of coarse resolution data and management of the development of drought
monitoring tool for the South African Development Community (SADC). He reported
that the ARC-ISCWs Drought Management and Monitoring Group produces situation
maps and present them to the National Disaster Management Committee and also contributes
to the National
Agrometeorological
Committee. He
mentioned that information is also disseminated via newsletters to users in
Agriculture, Hydrology and the Insurance business.
2.3 ARC - Animal Production Institute (API)
Dr MA
Magadlela
, the Research
and Technology Manager for the ARC-API, welcomed the delegation. He mentioned
that the API conducts basic and applied research in focal areas such as animal
nutrition and pasture science, animal breeding and improvement (conventional
and biotechnological tools to assist reproduction), product processing (meat
and milk) and food safety. He mentioned that the APIs strategic research focus
is informed by the strategic goals of the ARC and national priorities.
He reported that the API is also a custodian
of certain national assets and services such as the National Data Bank for
stock and game identification.
Kaonafatso
ya
Dikgomo
Mr Dan
Motiang
, the Manager
for
Kaoanafatso
ya
Dikgomo
(
KyD
) Project reported
that the project aims to accelerate access of smallholder livestock farmers to
the mainstream industry. He reported that 40% of the projects herd is owned by
smallholder farmers with 1 200 participants from 2011/12 financial year. He
reported that from January 2014, there were approximately 5 772 participants in
the project including women and youth. He highlighted the 2013 Project Award
Winner who started with 10 cattle and now owns a herd of 150 cattle and has
improved the herds calving rate from less than 50% to 88%. Mr
Motiang
reported that the ARC, with assistance from Provincial
Departments of Agriculture, assists farmers to hold village livestock auctions.
He mentioned that the
KyD
project aims to provide
experiential learning to communities surrounding projects; and expand livestock
trade for exportation.
Assisted
Reproductive Technologies (ART)
Professor Lucky
Nedambale
,
the Programme Manager for Assisted Reproduction Technologies (ART) reported
that the objective of the ART project is to introduce genetically superior
cattle through ART technology, introduce a model which is meant to empower
individual rural farmers to participate in the existing modern beef industry
value chain, to support rural farmers in managing animal health (to reduce
mortality and improve fertility), to use deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to verify
parentage and identification (to deter stock theft and for recording and
improvement schemes) and to build capacity and skills of farmers and
professionals who support emerging farmers. He also highlighted that the focus
of the Project is on the
Nguni
cattle breed, which is
an indigenous hardy breed.
Poultry
Enterprise Development
Dr Baldwin
Nengovhela
, the Project
Manager, reported that the ARC-API jointly with the Department of Rural
Development and Land Reform have established an integrated community-based and community-owned
poultry value chain for rural households in all nine provinces. He said the Project
started on the 1
st
April 2013 and has a life span of 36 months and
its objectives are to:
-
Help establish new village broiler and layer value chains;
-
Document experiences in village broiler and layer value chains;
-
Contribute in the improvement of rural livelihoods and
entrepreneurship, as well as economic growth in rural areas;
-
Conduct training in hatchery, rearing, feed manufacturing and
abattoir management within village systems;
-
Improve financial risks of village broiler farming and the rest of
the value chain in South Africa;
-
Help establish and refine new village broiler-abattoir models;
-
Ensure complete production cycles for the continuous supply of the
market;
-
Organise the groups into cooperatives or any legal business entity;
-
Pilot vertical integration by smallholder entities;
-
Create a sustainable support system and platform for solving
problems for the beneficiaries of the projects through training and
mentorship; and
-
Create job opportunities for
para
-professionals
and NARYSEC.
Dr
Nengovhela
reported that
the Project targets poor and unemployed people in the Comprehensive Rural
Development Programme (CRDP) sites. The total number of beneficiaries was
reported as 1 368 consisting of 1 008 rural and military veterans, 180
para
-professionals and 180 National Rural Youth Service
Corps (NARYSEC). He further reported that there is currently one site in each
province and the plan is to expand the project to 73 sites per province. He mentioned
that the projects concept is to establish in each community, a feed mill, layer
houses (egg production), broiler houses (meat production), a hatchery and an abattoir
with an outlet shop.
Livestock
Genomic Research Selection
Professor Norman
Maiwashe
,
the Programme Manager for Livestock Genomic Selection commented that as the
number of people that need to be fed is increasing and the natural resource
base is deteriorating, the only solution is to increase the output per unit of
production; meaning more beef from fewer cattle. He explained that an increase in
output can be done through identification (selection) and breeding of fertile
and high producing animals (adaptation). He further explained that the identification
of superior breeding stock is done through Conventional Selection (CS), in
which the ARC played a prominent role in the research that led to its successful
implementation in the country.
He said the
other option is Genomic Selection (GS), which is done through the selection of
breeding animals through their DNA.
Prof
Maiwashe
reported that the Genomics Programme in the
ARC is still at its infancy and presents a new opportunity for accelerating
efficiency of animal production. He said although the ARC is investing heavily
in Genomic Research and capacity development, the Programme is expensive and
needs substantial funding. He further stated that support from public and
private institutions is essential for successful implementation of Genomic Selection
for the benefit of South African livestock farmers. He concluded by stating
that South Africa cannot afford not to invest in Genomic Research since that
might have a negative impact on the countrys global competiveness.
The
Animal Improvement Schemes
Dr MA
Magadlela
, the
Research and Technology Manager at ARC-API reported that the Animal Improvement
Schemes Project has been under the stewardship of the ARC since the 1
st
April 1995. The Project utilised the ARCs research and development and
technology transfer products, which have resulted in improved productivity and
ability of livestock farmers to monitor and even control the production
processes of their herds and flocks due to a greater understanding of
principles needed for sustainable production. He said participation in the Improvement
Schemes has thus enhanced efficiency of farm animal production while promoting
sustainable resource use to improve the general competitiveness of the whole
livestock industry in the country. Dr
Magadlela
also
mentioned that the research conducted by the ARC in support of the animal
recording and improvement schemes has been highly successful. He also noted
that no successful animal recording and improvement system can exist without
sound research and development closely linked to the transfer of technology that
is derived from such research.
2.4 ARC Vegetable and Ornamental Plants Institute (VOPI)
Sweet Potato Research Programme
Dr P
Adebola
, the Programme
Manager for the Sweet Potato Research Programme
at ARC- Vegetable and Ornamental Plants Institute (VOPI) informed
the delegation that the mandate of VOPI, which is based at
Roodeplaat
(Pretoria), is to carry out needs-driven and environmentally friendly research,
technology development and technology transfer of commercial vegetables,
African/traditional/indigenous vegetables, medicinal plants and indigenous
bulbous plants. He further reported that the primary aim of the Sweet Potato
Research Programme is the breeding of improved varieties; promotion of the
orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) for addressing malnutrition; establishment
of nurseries for vine dissemination and establishment of small-price
enterprises.
He mentioned that the
sweet potato is one of the seven major staple crops of the world and feeds
millions of people in the developing world. He said in South Africa the sweet
potato is a popular crop amongst resource-poor farmers and is also grown
commercially for the fresh and export markets. He further explained that the
crop is adaptable to a broad range of agro-ecological conditions and can
therefore, be grown in all provinces in South Africa and in some areas
throughout the year.
Indigenous / Traditional Vegetables and Crops
Dr I du
Plooy
, the Programme
Manager for Crop Science commented that contribution of local foods to reduce
health risks has always been recognised as part of indigenous knowledge and
part of the cultural system. He said growing recognition globally on the role
of local
nutraceuticals
and functional foods in improving
the health of people and the growing
nutraceutical
market worldwide has made it more important to identify, investigate and
extract natural food additives and health promoting substances from local
traditional food crops. He reported that the ARC is collaborating with the
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and other relevant
stakeholders to develop
nutraceuticals
and functional
foods as products from crops traditionally used by rural communities in South
Africa.
Training and Support Model for Smallholder Farmers
Dr SL Venter, the Research and Technology Manager for
the ARC - VOPI gave an overview of VOPIs Training and Support Model for
Smallholder Farmers Programme. She reported that models and strategies were
developed and implemented for sustainable livelihoods in support of smallholder
farmers and rural development, these include:
-
Sustainable livelihoods model;
-
Enterprise development and
Agri
-village
models and strategies;
-
Training
and knowledge transfer models including training courses;
-
Demonstration trials, demonstration production
system, on-farm training;
-
Support and multiplier models, high value crops
and niche market models;
-
Small-scale agricultural production models and
decision making support models;
-
Food, nutrition and crop based models;
-
Urban agriculture model and strategy;
-
Production and technology transfer manuals and
information brochures; and
-
Information and farmers days model.
She mentioned that all models include community
mobilisation, situation analysis, baseline surveys, integration of new adapted
technology and knowledge, monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment phases.
Visit to the
Onderstepoort
Biological Products
(OBP)
The
following officials were in attendance
:
Onderstepoort
Biological Products (OBP)
: Dr ST
Cornelius, Chief Executive Officer (CEO); Mr B
Nthangeni
,
Chief Scientific Officer; Dr T
Smit
, Chief Operations
Officer; Ms Z
Mobeng
, General Manger: Legal,
Compliance & Company Secretary; Pieter M
Pieterson
,
Quality Executive; Ms
Mpume
Ramutle
,
Human Resource Executive; Mr M
Gololo
, Chief
Financial Officer and Mr P Pieter, Quality Executive.
National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF)
:
Dr BM
Modisane
, Chief Director: Animal Production
& Health (APH); Dr S Mkhize, Director: Provincial & SOEs Performance
Monitoring; Mr MJ Mamabolo, Director: Animal Production; Ms
Dikeledi
Mabogoane
, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer; Mr S
Kgatla
, Principal Communication Officer; Ms N
Mafani
, Parliamentary Coordinator: Office of the
Director-General.
2.5 Overview of the
Onderstepoort
Biological Products (OBP)
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr ST Cornelius
gave a historical background on the establishment of the OBP and an overview of
the Institutes mandate. He mentioned that OBP was part of the
Onderstepoort
Veterinary Research Institute (OVRI), which
was established in 1908 and included the ARCs OVI and the OBP. He reported
that the animal vaccine manufacturing facility at the then OVRI was established
in 1968. In 1992, vaccine manufacturing was separated from the Research
Institute, which later became the ARCs OVI and the OBP was launched as an SOE
responsible for animal vaccine manufacturing. He said the OBP remains the only
manufacturer of animal vaccines in the country and other suppliers import
vaccines.
In his presentation, Dr
Cornelius mentioned that OBP has very old and outdated infrastructure and
equipment, which constraints the entitys ability to meet the demand for vaccines.
He reported that a presentation has been made to DAFF and the National Treasury
for additional funding to manufacture orphan vaccines (i.e. the vaccines that
OBP has to manufacture at their own cost for public good). He further reported
that OBP needs approximately R1.2 billion to upgrade and modernise its
facilities and have been allocated R492 million by National Treasury for the
medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) period.
Dr Cornelius mentioned that the OBPs product
portfolio constitutes bacterial vaccine products, viral vaccine products and
other products such as frozen infective blood that is manufactured in
conjunction with the ARC-OVI and antiserum diagnostic reagents such as dourine
and rose Bengal. The following threats and constraints were reported by the CEO:
-
Negative perception of the OBP brand (RVF);
-
Products not available due to equipment breakdown
and old outdated production processes, which causes unreliable supply;
-
No innovation meaning that OBP cannot afford new
technology to develop new products;
-
Budget constraints limited market and growth
potential;
-
OBP is a commercial entity but also carries
within its portfolio, products that are earmarked for public good and
product availability to fulfil orders is a major constraint mainly due to
technology and equipment constraints;
-
Factors affecting production and sales (market
share and sales revenue), which
are
also factors affecting the activities within the company; and
-
Non-GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) status
currently operation under ISO (International Standards of Operation).
For quality and safety of vaccines, the CEO informed
the delegation that the development, production, testing and supply of all
vaccines produced by OBP is based on accepted laboratory practices established
by International Standards of Operation (ISO 9001:2008) and Good Manufacturing
Practice (GMP) guidelines, and in accordance with specific guidelines and
regulations that are established by the office of the World Organisation for
Animal Health (OIE). He mentioned that in addition, vaccines are developed,
produced and supplied to comply with the legislative requirements for the
registration of these products in South Africa as stated in the Fertilisers,
Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act, 1947 (Act No. 36 of
1947), as amended. He further mentioned that to achieve the quality objective
in a reliable manner, the company has comprehensively designed and correctly
implemented a Quality Management System that includes quality control and
quality assurance.
Dr Cornelius also presented proposals to strengthen
OBP, which include:
-
U
pgrading
of facilities, equipment and processes as a matter of urgency;
-
Improved
production efficiencies, cost reduction and competitiveness;
-
Access
to more markets;
-
Support
by Government to ensure sustainable vaccine supply for the benefit of the country
(i.e. annual transfer payment);
-
I
ncreased
collaboration, technology transfer and technology acquisition (locally and
internationally);
-
Increased product range to offer
more combination vaccines; and
-
Recognition of OBP by DAFF as an
important role player in terms of disease management and control, training
and improved access of products to smallholder/emerging farmers.
Dr Cornelius concluded that
in order for OBP to be able to effectively and efficiently carry out its
mandate (animal vaccine manufacturing to prevent and control animal diseases
that impact food security and public health) and to remain a viable and
sustainable business entity, the following is required:
·
Investment into upgrading and /or establishing new facilities.
·
Stronger
relationships need to be built with provincial and national Government.
·
Vaccination/health
programmes driven by provinces and private veterinarians.
·
Improved communication
and interaction between all role players.
·
Contingency plan for vaccine reserves to be considered and supported.
The delegation was taken to a tour of OBP facilities and laboratories.
3.
Committee Observations
The Committee made the following observations during
the oversight visit:
-
While the ARC is doing some work on smallholder
farmers, due to lack of research funding from Government and the apparent
need for more focus on smallholder farmers, most of the ARCs research
activities are still focused at the commercial sector as it is able to pay
for the services.
-
The OBP, as a National Key Point company, was not
getting sufficient funding from Government to sustain itself.
-
The OBP is not just a profit making company; it
also provides services to farmers in the country and manufactures orphan
vaccines (i.e. those vaccines that are produced by OBP at their own cost
for the public good).
-
Some provincial departments and local governments
do not fully support OBP by exclusively buying their vaccines for
distribution to respective farmers in provinces.
-
Both the ARC and OBP do not have restraint of
trade policies that form part of their personnel retention strategies to
prevent loss of expertise.
-
The Committee supported the OBPs initiative of
having a days workshop to ensure that vaccines are available to farmers
when they need them.
4.
Recommendations
The Committee recommends that the Department of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) ensures that:
·
Extra funding is
allocated to the ARC for the development of research infrastructure.
·
Additional funding is
allocated to the ARC to do an analysis of the countrys agricultural research
needs, which will further inform the funding of needs-driven research by the
Department.
·
The ARC provides feedback
to the Portfolio Committee on sweet potato vine growers in the country.
·
All the pieces of
legislation that govern the OBP are fast-tracked for review and that OBP as a National
Key Point company is fully funded by Government.
·
The ARC and OBP strengthen
their retention strategies and include restraint of trade policies that will
ensure that the entities prevent loss of expertise.
·
It collaborates with
other relevant Departments including the private sector to look at water
harvesting technologies that will benefit agriculture.
·
It establishes
preferential procurement policies for local products and encourages provincial
departments and local governments to source vaccines from the OBP.
Report
to be considered.
Documents
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