We’ve mentioned before that we get queries every week regarding one aspect or another of agriculture. These vary from the polite, sincere and well-thought out emails to the simple and abrupt. We usually respond to both. It is when we receive a response to our response that a picture emerges of people trying very hard to get an enterprise off the ground and make it a success.
We received two emails within minutes of each other a short while ago, which have been followed up with two or three subsequent ones. A look at the first will make the point. It was about exporting rabbit meat from SA to SADC and BRICS countries. How to go about it?
I responded: We only do the website, so I can’t answer this directly. I would refer you to Future Farmers and P349 (Pty) Ltd for an answer here, or to other role players like CASIDRA (if you’re in the Western Cape) or NWK (if you’re in the North West). See our list of role players at https://agribook.co.za/livestock/rabbits/#players
A few hours later a response came: “Thank you Craig. I have contacted Judy and Hester before”.
Alright. We sit up now.
Okay. The DTI (now DTIC) has an export assistance branch. Have you tried them at all? They help by way of funds, road shows, clearing a way for potential exporters, even finding a market. See https://agribook.co.za/marketing-finance/exporting/#dti
I also referred her to the Food Import and Export Standards directorate at the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), along with the contact details from a recent newsletter. I concluded by pointing to the SA Revenue Services:
There is a host of export information on the SARS website, at www.sars.gov.za/ClientSegments/Customs-Excise/Registration-and-Licensing/Pages/Exporters.aspx
If the DTIC export promotion people help you, it will save you many headaches!
A short while later came a further response: “Craig I have, DTI pushes me to DARD and DARD to DTI. Its very difficult with these guys. But I’ll keep trying different people in the same department but different portfolios”.
How do you respond to that?
The second email also had to do with exporting, but the commodity was a little more established, and there were more options of help from the private sector, its companies and industry associations. Nonetheless, it required three exchanges of emails. I haven’t heard from the person again, and trust that that is a good thing.
Those of us fortunate to have a job or an enterprise that is working – it behoves us to remember that it can be a struggle out there. If people have an idea and are putting in the effort, they deserve whatever help is ours to give, especially so if it is in our job description.
Photo by Daniel Bosse on Unsplash
