Exploring solutions to drive market growth

The new year has been marked with a wave of market activity amid notable volatility. Southern Africa faced the harsh impacts of extreme weather, with hot and dry weather conditions felt in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, and Namibia. Geopolitical tensions, such as the continued Russia-Ukraine conflict and escalating situations in the Middle East, further shaped the macroeconomic landscape leading to oil price fluctuations. The effects of these interconnected events reverberated across most industries, spilling over into the agricultural sector, resulting in shifts to the price and production of grains, most noticeably, white maize (WMAZ), a Southern African staple food.

In the first quarter of 2024, the spot price for WMAZ rose to R5,350 then R5,553 in April, surpassing its highest closing price of R5,470, observed in November 2022. The Crop Estimates Committee also estimate a notable decline in production figures for WMAZ, which have decreased by approximately 25% compared to the previous season. Now, while many find these figures unsettling, some contend that they underscore a more urgent concern.

With the markets characterised by volatility, rising prices and decreased WMAZ production, some have turned their attention to concerns surrounding the accessibility and availability of maize. This comes considering that total domestic consumption is estimated to be approximately 5,4 million tons and an anticipated 1.5million tons export demand.

In response to these concerns and following extensive market engagement, the JSE remains committed to mitigating the constraints associated with the access to stock held on JSE receipts.

To ensure the integrity of the JSE silo receipt is constantly preserved, the comprehensive monthly audit process will be continued. Our monthly stock audits provide invaluable insights into demand pressures based on booking slot activities and stock levels held in JSE registered silos. The JSE will continue to analyse for out loading capabilities of approved silo operators. We request holders of JSE silo receipts, to please report any issues associated with access to stock in lieu of a JSE silo receipt.

Based on feedback from stakeholders, the contract specification amendment related to section 9 of Appendix C, which allows JSE receipt holders priority access to 25% of out loading slots, is not utilised sufficiently. To remedy this gap, the JSE will continue to promote awareness of this commitment by JSE Storage Operators, while monitoring its use as a means for long position holders to secure access to stock during main hedging months.

Should the priority access of 25% be fully utilised, the JSE will work collaboratively with silo operators to investigate the revision of the percentage allocation.

The JSE will also continue to oversee and enforce compliance on approved JSE Storage Operators and will take appropriate action if a Storage Operator fails to comply with its obligations as recorded in the Contract Specifications.

Through these measures, as the JSE, we reaffirm our commitment to collaborating with the market to explore and address solutions to drive market growth. With great enthusiasm, we eagerly anticipate the fruitful path that lies ahead.

Step up to save agriculture

A severe drought crisis made worse by extreme heat waves is putting South Africa’s grain producers under immense pressure, compounded by financial strains due to lower yields and increasing production costs. Against this background, Grain SA has called for Government to step in with support and assistance.

In a statement, Grain SA has made the point that although grain producers form the backbone of the nation’s agricultural sector, they are facing a tough battle against drought, with some receiving below 50% of average rainfall.

The ramifications for the national economy should not be underestimated: “Grain and Oilseeds form part of 70% of all food and therefore have a large multiplier effect throughout various industries. The financial strain on grain producers has far-reaching implications, not only for their own livelihoods but also on South Africa’s GDP and it therefore paramount and in the country’s interest that producers are assisted to survive financially through the drought cycle.”

Grain SA points out that developing producers are also feeling the heat, since they often lack the necessary finances and infrastructure to cope. As a result, transformational investments have a lower developmental dividend. In fact, developing producers are struggling to stay in business.

According to Grain SA, “Immediate action is needed to provide financial assistance through an agricultural disaster fund, access to affordable credit remedies and affordable income insurance, enabling producers to weather the crisis and sustain their livelihood.”

NAMPO 2024 is the ideal forum to engage in these important conversations and implement initiatives for the benefit of a vital economic sector in which all South African citizens have a stake.

Senwes fokus op die platteland en sy gemeenskap

Dit is geen geheim dat die platteland en die gemeenskappe in die platteland wesenlike uitdagings het nie. Vervalle infrastruktuur, munisipale dienslewering, hoë werkloosheid en ʼn gebrekkige sosiale vangnet is maar enkele voorbeelde van krisisse wat gemeenskappe in die platteland moet oorkom. Nogtans is die platteland ʼn kernrolspeler in die groter Suid-Afrika, veral wanneer die rol wat die landbousektor speel in ag geneem word.

Dit is vanweë dié rede dat die Senwes Groep vanjaar opnuut sy fokus op die platteland, en die gemeenskappe wat daar funksioneer, gerig het. As ʼn besigheid wat ʼn diep verbintenis met die platteland het, besef Senwes dat die verhouding tussen landbou en die Suid-Afrikaanse platteland in simbiose met mekaar funksioneer.

Op die plaaspad-inisiatief

Die plaaspad is die plek waar Senwes en die produsent mekaar ontmoet. As ʼn besigheid, waarvan die kerndoel is om produsente in staat te stel om suksesvol te wees, wil Senwes deurlopend die produsent daar op die plaaspad ontmoet.

Die “Op die plaaspad”-inisiatief bestaan uit vier pilare wat elk bydra om ʼn verskil in die platteland te maak:

Besigheidsoplossings

Ons verbind ons tot die voorsiening van innoverende oplossings wat plaaslike uitdagings direk aanspreek. Van tegnologiegedrewe vooruitgang tot pasgemaakte besigheidstrategieë, fokus ons daarop om produsente te bemagtig en hul ekonomiese groei te bevorder.

Gemeenskap

Ons toewyding tot gemeenskapsontwikkeling behels aktiewe betrokkenheid by plaaslike inisiatiewe. Vanjaar gaan Senwes vir die eerste keer sowat R1,8 miljoen deur sy AgriRewards+ program aan boereverenigings uitbetaal om sodoende hulle gemeenskapsinisiatiewe te befonds.

Toekomstige gemeenskap:

Deur aktief deel te neem aan inisiatiewe rondom gemeenskapsontwikkeling, verklaar Senwes sy verbintenis tot maatskaplike verantwoordelikheid. Hierdie programme word gedryf deur die Thobo Trust wat onder meer volhoubare voedselsekerheid, vroeë kinderontwikkeling en sportontwikkeling deur middel van die Senwes Spinners uitrol.

Hulpverlening:

Te midde van omgewingsuitdagings soos droogtes, vure, en ander landbouverwante teëspoed, is Senwes toegewyd tot die vestiging van ʼn landbouhulp-kernpilaar. Hierdie inisiatief spreek die unieke uitdagings aan waarmee plaaslike boere en gemeenskappe, wat van landbou afhanklik is, te kampe het. Nog ʼn voorbeeld hiervan is Senwes se deurlopende padskraapprojek.

Oplossings vir die platteland-konferensie

As ʼn besigheid wat deel wil wees van die oplossings vir die platteland het Senwes vanjaar as hoofborg betrokke geraak by Landbouweekblad se “Oplossings vir die Suid-Afrikaanse platteland”-konferensie. Tydens hierdie konferensie het verskeie rolspelers wat regoor Suid-Afrika oplossings binne hulle eie gemeenskap bedink en uitvoer, hul aksieplanne gedeel. Hierdie inisiatief het ten doel om as katalisator te dien om die Suid-Afrikaanse platteland te laat herleef – deur aktiewe deelname van die burgerlike samelewing en besighede wat hier funksioneer.

Nasie in Gesprek

Die platteland het suksesvolle landbouers nodig om volhoubaar en lewensvatbaar te wees. Senwes is al vir die afgelope 12 jaar ʼn medeborg en organiseerder van die bekende gespreksreeks wat jaarliks by Nampo Oesdag aangebied word. Die doel van Nasie in Gesprek is om kwessies aan te spreek wat binne die sektor heers om sodoende produsente en ander rolspelers in te lig en om kennis te deel. Dit dra by tot ʼn gesonde aktuele diskoers in landbou wat tot voordeel van die hele sektor en die platteland is waarbinne die sektor grotendeels funksioneer.

Die gemeenskappe wat in en rondom die platteland funksioneer, het ʼn robuuste landbousektor nodig om te kan floreer – net soos wat die landbousektor afhanklik is van ʼn gesonde platteland. As ʼn besigheid wat deeglik bewus is van die noodsaaklikheid hiervan, sal Senwes aanhou om sy fokus en inisiatiewe só te rig om hier ʼn verskil te maak.

Ensuring food safety with rapid micro testing

Our accredited tests allow for fast detection of harmful bacteria

Ensuring food safety with rapid micro testing

Our accredited tests allow for fast detection of harmful bacteria

As a food producer, your main priority is to ensure that your products are safe for consumption. Here at SciCorp Laboratories, we take care of that problem. With our rapid microbiological testing, we are able todetect the leading food pathogens, Salmonella and Listeria, faster than traditional methods can, saving you valuable time.

Based in Pietermaritzburg and Pretoria, SciCorp Laboratories hasbeen serving the agricultural industry since 2008 as Incotec, and became SciCorp in 2016. We have continuously been expanding our services and now offer a variety of testing, consulting, research, and development services to a broad range of clients and industries in the agricultural, food, and feed sectors. Our various microbiological and chemical tests are accredited by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS), ensuring that they are of the highest standards. Our accredited services include rapid detection of Listeria and Salmonella; enumeration of bacteria, yeast and mold; and detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Rapid detection of Listeria and Salmonella

Our rapid microbiological testing kits detect Listeria and Salmonella up to two to three times faster than traditional methods.

Why is it important to test products for Listeria and Salmonella?

Listeria and Salmonella are two of the leading causes of foodborne diseases. These bacteria can be carried unnoticed in animals and can also be present in water, soil and animal manure. Food samples can become infected with Listeria or Salmonella when they come into contact with contaminated water, soil or animal manure somewhere along the production line. In most cases, one can’ttell that food has been contaminated with Listeria or Salmonella, as the food has no abnormal taste or smell. Eating food infected with Listeria or Salmonella can lead to food poisoning and serious illnesses. Sending contaminated food to retail impacts consumers’ health and can gravely affect the brand’s reputation. It is, therefore, essential to test food products before they go out to the shelves, to prevent consequences such as sample recall. It is also vital to ensure that the facilities used to produce food products are sanitary and free of Listeria and Salmonella, so that the spread can be prevented early in production, saving valuable time and resources. As Listeria and Salmonella are invisible to the naked eye, testsare needed to detect the presence of their DNA in samples. At our facilities, we can test your food products or samples from your facilities, such as soil and water for the presence of Listeria or Salmonella, and provide fast results, so you can rest assured that your products are safe for consumption.

How do these rapid tests work?

We use certified kits that have been specifically designed for fast and reliable detection of Listeria and Salmonella DNA. Our Listeria detection kit can detect the presence of Listeria spp. and Listeria monocytogenes DNAin human food and environmental samples. Our Salmonella detection kit can detect the presence of Salmonella spp. DNA in food, feed and environmental samples. The kits we use save a lot of time, as results can be ready within 24 hours, whereas traditional methods take from 48 to 72 hours. The steps used to detectListeria and Salmonella are similar. First, the conditions are changed to increasethe numbers of Listeria or Salmonella that might be present in the sample to detectable levels. Then, the cells are broken open to release the DNA of Listeria or Salmonella into solution. The samples then go through polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which makes more copies of Listeria or Salmonella’s DNA. Finally, we analyse the results with computer software to determine whether the DNA of Listeria or Salmonella is present in the sample.

Counting organisms in food with enumeration studies

Industry and hygiene standards often require that the amounts of specific microbes in samples are below a specific level. With enumeration studies, we can determine the amount of bacteria, yeast, mold and total viable counts present in your samples to verify whether your samples meet these regulatory standards.

Coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus

Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus are bacteria that produce toxins, called enterotoxins, in foodthat can lead to food poisoning when present in high amounts. Enumeration studies can determine the presence and levels of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in your food sample.

Escherichia coli

While some strains of E. coli bacteria are harmless to humans, others can cause different types of diseases and food poisoning. Determining whether the amounts of harmful E. coli in food samples are below a specific level can ensure food safety.

Yeasts and mold

Several yeasts and mold species can be hazardous to human health, as they produce toxic substances called mycotoxins. Knowing how much yeast and mold there is in your sample can prevent early food spoilage.

Total Viable Counts

Total viable counts determine the number of microorganisms, such as bacteria, yeast or mold in a sample. We can determine whether the total viable counts of your sampleisbelow the acceptable limit.

For more information about our services, look at our website, www.scicorplab.com. Our highly qualified and friendly staff are happy to assist with any queries.

Strategic decisions

Developing the agro-processing sector could significantly boost South Africa’s economy

Primary agriculture contributes around 2.5% to South Africa’s gross domestic product , which is a relatively small proportion considering that agricultural land represents almost 80% of the country’s total land area. However, the sector’s overall contribution, including the value chain, is substantially higher, contributing 10,3% in 2023 (up from 7.8% in 2021)¹.

The agricultural sector’s prominent role in the economy stems from its connections to other sectors. These connections include backward interactions with farmers through the purchase of goods such as fertilisers, chemicals and implements, as well as forward connections through the export of primary products, distribution into the food chain, and the supply of raw materials for agro-processing. About 70% of agricultural output serves as intermediate products in the agro-processing sector. Agro-processing, which has been the largest component of the manufacturing sector since the 1970s, consistently contributes an average third of the total manufacturing output over the past 50 years, and its share has been growing since 2010².

The agricultural value chain is thus considered an important growth engine for the rest of the South African economy and, in many instances, the lifeblood of the rural economy. Numerous documents, including the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan of 2022, have identified agro-processing as a driver of industrialisation, with huge potential to contribute to the structural transformation of the economy. Primary production and several agro-processing industries are labour-intensive, which is an important factor in terms of job creation, while agro-processing industries promote the growth of small and medium enterprises, which can contribute to economic transformation by promoting broader participation in the economy.

Processed exports could yield better returns for South Africa

However, based on growing yields over the past few years, a case can be made for further processing of the country’s agricultural produce for the export market. Export value per tonne for agro-processed goods is up to three times higher than non-agro-processed goods³, which implies higher export earnings for the industry. Expanding the agro-processing sector could also generate more local value by creating employment opportunities, particularly for unskilled and semi-skilled workers, and increasing the potential to replace agro-processed imports.

The recent performance of the South African wine industry relative to grape exports illustrates the motivation behind expanding the country’s agro-processing sector. Between 2018 and 2022 the export value of wine per tonne was on average 2.5 times more than the grape export value per tonne³. Based on these results it would make sense to focus more on increasing export volumes and sales of wine, or processed grapes in the form of juice or raisins, rather than table grapes.

A similar assessment was conducted for avocados and avocado oil, revealing that South African avocados are used as an input for avocado oil production across most of the markets to which they are exported. This also warrants the avocado industry expanding its avocado oil production and renegotiating with export markets to prioritise exporting avocado oil rather than avocados. Such a stance would deliver more value for South Africa, as the average export value per tonne of avocado oil between 2018 and 2022 was almost twice the export value per tonne of fresh or dried avocados³.

John Hudson, Head of Agriculture at Nedbank Commercial Banking

¹ US International Trade Administration

²https://commerce.uct.ac.za/sites/default/files/content_migration/commerce_uct_ac_za/869/files/PRISM%2520Working%2520Paper%25202021-4%2520-%2520Chitonge.pdf

³https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/2023-10-17-james-maposa-agro-processing-could-deliver-more-value-for-sa-agricultural-exports/

Powering ahead

Strategic partnership announced to pioneer advanced nuclear energy solutions for agriculture in South Africa and beyond

T he Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai) and C5 Capital, a pioneering investment firm based in Washington DC specialising in advanced nuclear energy solutions, announced a groundbreaking strategic partnership today. This alliance aims to spearhead the development of innovative nuclear solutions to bolster agriculture and ensure food security across South Africa and the wider African continent. This initiative not only marks a significant stride towards alternative energy solutions for regions plagued by inconsistent energy production but also sets the standard for similar projects throughout Africa.

The partnership is founded on a mutual commitment to harnessing advanced nuclear technology to revolutionise agricultural practices, conserve natural resources and fortify food security. The collaboration will explore the application of cutting-edge nuclear techniques to enhance agricultural productivity, animal health, food safety and quality, and effective land and water management, among other critical areas.

Central to this initiative is a three-pronged strategy encompassing the long-term integration of advanced nuclear energy generation within South African agriculture, the innovative application of artificial intelligence (AI) in farming practices and the ambitious venture into agriculture in space and the application of space-based data to agriculture. This multifaceted approach underscores the partners’ dedication to leveraging technology for sustainable agricultural development.

The announcement also heralds the continuation of C5 Capital’s strategic vision, building upon its existing plans to construct a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) for energy offtake by leading datacentre companies in Cape Town. This project not only underscores the technological prowess within the region but also signifies a return to and an evolution of South Africa’s once-leading role in the field of pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR) development.

Reflecting on the historical context, South Africa was at the forefront of PBMR technology, engaging in international cooperation that saw significant advancements in the early 2000s. Despite the subsequent discontinuation of South Africa’s PBMR programme, this partnership aims to reignite the nation’s legacy in nuclear innovation, leveraging proudly South African technology that has been refined and improved over the years.

“C5 Capital is thrilled to join forces with Saai in this transformative endeavour,” comments Chris Opperman, Operating Partner for C5 Capital. “By combining our expertise in advanced nuclear solutions with Saai’s deep understanding of agricultural needs, we are poised to make a substantial impact on energy sustainability and food security in South Africa and beyond,” says André Pienaar, Chief Executive Officer of C5 Capital.

From Saai, the sentiment is equally optimistic: “The prospect of a reliable energy supply in rural areas is a game changer, not only enhancing the competitiveness of commercial farmers but also crucial for the modernisation and commercialisation of smallholder farmers. This venture is a monumental step towards their emergence as profitable producers and key contributors to regional food security,” says Dr Theo de Jager, Chairperson of the Board at Saai.

This partnership not only reflects a significant leap towards sustainable energy and agricultural development in South Africa but also serves as a beacon for future initiatives across Africa, aiming to address the critical challenges of energy reliability and food security through technological innovation and collaboration.

For more information contact:

Francois Rossouw, CEO, Saai

Cell: 082 575 5484

Email: francois@saai.org

Reine Opperman, Marketing Associate,

C5 Capital

Email: reine.opperman@c5capital.com

Navigating the current challenges

A call to uphold values and responsibility in South Africa

One of the biggest dangers in life is that one accepts things as a matter of course. Depending on social circumstances, this will vary from person to person. For some, who have food on the table three times a day, it can easily be taken for granted. Those who do not have the privilege of regular food availability will view food differently, if it were available.

The society in which we currently function has begun to place a strong focus on human rights. Even in our country’s constitution, a variety of rights are established, encompassed in a charter of human rights. Rather, we should have a society that places emphasis on accepting responsibility. Are people still accepting accountability for their actions, or is it more convenient to shift the blame to something or someone else? It is lamented today that many politicians who are supposed to set an example are frequently singled out for abusing the position they are placed in. A position in which indeed should serve the benefit of the country’s inhabitants, but in practice, self-interest is pursued in ways that are not always honourable.

The lead-up to the election brings forth diverse expectations. The extent of political parties’ promises reaches such dimensions that even the strongest economic countries in the world do not have the capacity to fulfil all those promises. South Africa has been transformed over 30 years with a certain policy approach to where we are struggling today to build a future through the failed institutions that have been created over time. Promises that things will now be turned around, however, require expertise, and the process of cadre deployment is in many cases the cause of the failed institutions. If the same “expertise” that caused the problem has to solve it now, the problems may only get bigger.

The way in which a country’s people establish values on which the future must be built is of cardinal importance. Values that traditionally would largely pass the test of integrity and honour are slowly but surely beginning to erode. The variety of the distinct peoples who have been politically amalgamated in South Africa inevitably bring forth other historical perspectives that create different expectations. Mutual respect and understanding of diversity should be the starting point in the interaction. The sadness is that South Africa has been bombarded over the past few years with a set of values that ignore and break down diversity and then attempt to replace it with strong socialist and communist views. Somewhere people will reach a saturation point regarding the violation of their humanity and values, and then things may get tense.

The South African reality, as it has unfolded over the last 30 years, is not favourable for the majority of people, regardless of the population group they represent. Crime, unemployment, and accompanying poverty are nothing to be proud of. The unrealistic policy environment certainly does not inspire confidence, and the consequences are a country that is degenerating at a fairly rapid pace.

We are creating culture every day, which can broadly be seen as the sum total of human actions. It is indeed a choice how we do it. So, the question each one must answer for themselves is: Am I building or breaking?

In this self-made chaotic time, we must seek those aspects that bring stability. It requires choice and action from us:

We must hold onto our grounded values and not deviate from them. This brings confidence for the future, for we know that we are already victorious through Jesus Christ who died for us on the cross.

Each of us have received incredible talents that can make huge differences if we use them positively. We must strive for excellence and success in everything we do.Our attitude towards, and handling of the realities we face daily matter. Highlight the problems, but seek positive and creative solutions tirelessly. Negativity is close to throwing in the towel.

Our reputation is a precious earthly asset. Once it is “thrown away,” it becomes very difficult to “clean” it up again, if ever. When we choose or decide, we must maintain our integrity and protect our reputation.

We are not alone on this earth. How do we work with other people, especially when we differ from them? The Biblical way of doing things is well known to us. Do we pay attention to those teachings, or do we take shortcuts and cry “Crucify him!” in front of the crowd? Afterwards, excuses may be offered, but the damage will remain.

We live in a country where unemployment and poverty prevail. Therefore, we must build successful businesses that can help tackle these evils. An unrealistic policy environment creates uncertainty among investors, and therefore, economic growth should be a necessary focus. Every policy decision must be weighed for its impact on investor confidence. This is where one sees how short-sighted a policy of expropriation without compensation, enshrined in legislation, is.

Our productive commercial farmers, who provide food to South Africans, of whom about 68% are urbanised, are one of the greatest assets the country can have. Agriculture has experienced extreme conditions this year, putting many farming units under great cash flow pressure. Food on the table is certainly the greatest stabiliser in our country. Take it away, and who knows what could happen.

We live in a destabilised environment – the result of the current policy environment. This means that solutions cannot be found as long as the government is looked to. Therefore, independent solutions must be found outside of the government.

We live in a country plagued by crime. Diverse views exist on security conditions leading up to and after the election. The election’s potential for problems does not seem any different from what is already being experienced in practice. Therefore, all available capacity from all stakeholders collectively must be used to develop community safety plans. Various inputs from different organisations are available, and the best suggestions, where applicable, must be utilised.

Trust and knowledge are the foundation on which decisions should be made. Along with this, it must be principle-driven, for that is what endures. Therefore, focus on that foundation in which one believes, with necessary respect for other views, without bending the knee to the downfall of one’s own values.

Bennie van Zyl, TLU SA General Manager

Tech trends bring new risks for insurers

How digitalisation is transforming the agri sector

T  echnological development, though rapidly accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, has been changing the insurance landscape for some time already. The agriculture sector is a prime example of an industry that has undergone significant transformation, driven by the development of new tech-enabled machinery and data-driven management systems such as precision farming. Technological trends such as this, combined with the impact of inflationary forces is changing the face of the South African insurance industry and the prevailing risk landscape, both locally and abroad.

Nowhere have the effects of digitalisation been felt more acutely than in the agricultural sector, where technological innovation has propelled a large degree of change over the last decade. Artificial intelligence and automation are behind the emergence of precision farming – a method that employs several strategies and tools to optimise soil quality, crop yields, and increase overall productivity. These paradigm-shifting technologies have given rise to countless opportunities but in doing so, has introduced new risks.

Weighing in on the technological trends behind the advancement of the agricultural industry is Jan-Hendrik Botha – Head of Underwriting at Western, who argues that process automation and new farming techniques that harness the power of data are effective means by which to increase efficiency. “But smart equipment and systems require sizeable capital outlay and introduce new risks and exposures that must be mitigated by insurance products that are tailored to this evolving landscape.”

Along with the en masse adoption of electric utility vehicles and the cost and risk implications thereof, today’s agricultural implements rely on a complex network of electrical components. For example, a diesel-fueled harvester operates by means of an intricate electronic system that includes GPS navigation, computer systems and cameras. According to one study, in one series of combine harvesters, the number of electronic controllers involved in the operation of the implement has increased fivefold within just 15 years.

The high value of the electronic and computer systems that power today’s harvesters has seen the cost of these kinds of implements increase dramatically over the last few years, with the sum total of these components reaching over R1 million. In South Africa, where lack of capital has served as a barrier to entry, adoption of these kinds of innovations has been relatively slow but is steadily increasing. These developments have led to the risk landscape in agriculture becoming more nuanced, to allow for specialist areas and types of risk.

Expanding on how this trend has influenced product development in the insurance industry, Botha explains that previously, insurance for an agricultural vehicle required a straight-forward motor policy. “But with the advent of electronically powered machinery, policies have been adapted to require cover for a mix of motor and electronic equipment to cover new risk exposures. This additional cover has resulted in higher insurance premiums.”

He explains that rating structures have remained fairly consistent, or even decreased, due to the competitive nature of the industry. While the advanced technology being introduced into essential implements has boosted capabilities, these components are more susceptible to risks like lightning strikes and fires. Exposures have therefore shifted from traditional driving accidents to the potential for electrical damage caused by harsh climatory forces, power surges and equipment failures. Furthermore, in the case of artificial intelligence, in particular, the loss of data poses a significant threat to the farmers’ bottom-line.

“These tech-driven trends have led insurers to structure policies to account for new, emerging risks under separate sections that apply exclusively to cover for electronic equipment and specific eventualities that might occur.”

Drones are another prime example of how technology is being harnessed by the agriculture sector to improve efficiency, reduce the cost of labour and introduce more sustainable farming methods. Currently, drones can be flown without insurance, but must be operated in accordance with the South African Civil Aviation Authority’s legislations. High-performance drones can cost in excess of R350 000 and introduce a new level of risk that requires specialist cover.

Botha explains that standard insurance products provide static coverage for drones (does not apply when in operation) and does not include liability coverage. Specialist products provide more extensive cover, which includes third-party liability and is subject to specific terms and conditions. Technological trends are playing a key role in revolutionising the insurance sector through the development of new insurance solutions.”

“Adaptability is one of the cornerstones of futureproof insurance companies, not only because of the indelible change that the risk landscape is undergoing but because of South Africa’s unique economic standing post-pandemic,” concludes Botha.

The hidden dangers of uninsured employees: why farmers need to take action

As a farmer, you understand the importance of your employees. They are the backbone of your farm, working to ensure that your farm operates well. But have you considered the risks of having uninsured employees? The truth is, uninsured employees can pose risks and weigh heavily on your mind when the unexpected happens.

Financial risks

When an uninsured employee or their family member passes away or becomes disabled, the financial burden of funeral expenses and other costs can fall squarely on the farmer’s shoulders. This can be a significant financial blow, especially for small-scale farmers who may not have the resources to absorb such costs.

Productivity risks

In addition, the loss of an employee can lead to decreased productivity and efficiency, as well as low morale among employees, further exacerbating the financial strain. Replacing an experienced employee can be a long and costly process, leading to further financial losses.

The solution

So, what can farmers do to mitigate these risks? The answer is simple: provide affordable life, disability and funeral cover for your employees. This not only demonstrates your commitment to their well-being but also protects your farm from financial and other risks associated with uninsured employees.

Conclusion

In conclusion, uninsured employees can pose significant risks to farmers, but there is a simple solution to these problems. By providing life, disability and funeral cover, farmers can mitigate these risks and ensure that their employees and their families are protected in the event of disaster. Don’t wait until it’s too late – take action today and protect your farm and your employees.

Simply Staff Cover provides an easy and simple process to sign up your staff – it can take just 10 minutes online – and your staff are instantly covered. It’s affordable – from R10pp pm – and you can choose which benefits you’d like to add, and how much of each, depending on affordability: life cover, occupational disability cover, and funeral cover. Simply also includes a wellness product bundled into the Staff cover offering - this provides employees and their family members with 24/7 access to counselling for trauma or mental health issues. Costs can be absorbed by the employer, or passed on to farmworkers. Typically, this kind of financial support is well received by employees, who feel that their employer is taking care of them, and interested in the financial security of their families.

You can protect yourself and your own peace of mind, as well as take care of your employees, in just 10 minutes online at www.simply.co.za. Or give us a call and we’ll help you through the process. Your broker can also help you purchase this product. There really is no reason not to get Simply Staff Cover for your employees today. Whether you have just five employees or over 1000, Simply Staff Cover is made for you.

T&Cs apply. Simply is a licensed FSP 47146. Products are underwritten by Old Mutual Alternative Risk Transfer Ltd

www.simply.co.za

Take control of bad debt risk

Keep your agricultural business flourishing with trade credit insurance

No matter where you fall in the supply chain, there’s no getting around just how tough it can be to own a business in agriculture. It can be enormously profitable too, of course, as agriculture, fishing and forestry contributed around 117.5 billion to South Africa’s GDP in 2023, but the agricultural business is so dependent on every other business in an all too precarious chain that stretches from plowed fields to the shelves of a local supermarket, that when one business fails, it seldom fails alone.

Whether your business involves the harvesting of summer fruit, running a dairy farm or supplying farming equipment, all it takes to sink even the sturdiest agricultural business is a rainy season with not enough rain, gradual soil erosion that no longer seems so gradual, or even just plain old governmental incompetence.

And this is just on the domestic front. Along with the basic international pressures of a weak currency and worldwide inflation (which has, fortunately, started to ease up in recent months, as reflected by consumer food inflation falling to 4.9% in March, the lowest since September 2020) South Africa is a major exporter of fruits and vegetables, vegetable oil, rice, and meat and its agricultural sector is therefore highly reliant on global market trends.

For a business sector that is as reliant on the health of other businesses as agriculture, where credit is often given both freely and urgently, it is of paramount importance to seize control of the day-to-day risks that come with running your business.

Just think, what would happen if one of your biggest customers or clients suddenly goes under or suffers a sudden financial blow, making them unable to pay back the hundreds of thousands, even millions of rands that they routinely pay in advance for your products.

Thankfully, there is a type of insurance that specifically deals with this exact problem. Trade credit insurance, very simply, provides protection against potential non-payment by customers, making sure that you still receive a payout if things go south.

A trade credit policy is a crucial investment that can save you from bad debt if and when the weather inevitably turns – giving you the peace of mind to focus on taking your business higher and further.

Credit Guarantee, a member of the Old Mutual Group, is South Africa’s leader in trade credit insurance, enabling businesses across all sectors to expand their operations and customer base without the risk of bad debt.

Service through research

The Agricultural Research Council – Soil, Climate and Water has excelled over many years in fulfilling its responsibilities to agriculture

The ARC-Soil, Climate and Water (ARC-SCW) campus in Arcadia, Pretoria – now part of the ARC-Natural Resources and Engineering (ARC-NRE) division – has a long and proud history spanning over 120 years. It has developed from humble origins in 1902 as a services division of government with limited abilities into a leading research institute on the natural resources, that enjoys both national and international recognition.

The various campuses of the Agricultural Research Council (established in 1990) are largely a continuation of the functions that originated and were developed by the Department of Agriculture. The ARC’s vision of “Excellence in research and innovation for sustainable agricultural systems and economic development” reflects its core business and celebrates its unique role, acknowledging its position as the principal agricultural research institution in South Africa.

The research conducted by ARC-SCW over the years includes some significant highlights.

The role that ARC-SCW played in ensuring that South Africa is the only country in Africa with a complete geo-referenced soil inventory of the whole country cannot be underestimated. The Land Type Survey, completed in 2002, was a systematic soil, climate and terrain survey of the whole of South Africa, published at 1:250 000 scale. During the early 1990s, the land type information was digitized using a geographic information system (GIS) so that digital information became the main product. In this way, basic soil pattern maps, as well as more advanced interpretations such as land capability or crop suitability, could be produced.

The ARC-SCW Analytical Services laboratories have continued to service farmers and the public with soil, water, plant and specialist analyses. They participate in a number of quality control schemes as well as accreditation processes. The Water Lab was the first unit to be accredited by SANAS for several of its determinations, and the process of obtaining accreditation for various soil analyses is well underway. Due to advances in science and technology, techniques for analyzing agricultural soil have improved and now include the ability to take soil testing out of the conventional soil testing laboratory and bring it closer to the farmers via a mobile lab.

The EU-funded Soils4Africa project will help to resolve the longstanding issue of fragmented soil data in Africa. A large group of field personnel is undertaking an Africa-wide campaign to collect soil samples at 20 000 agricultural sites across the continent. Approximately 30 000 soil samples were sent to the ARC for spectral analysis, with 20% of these samples also undergoing wet chemistry analysis at the ARC-SCW analytical laboratories.

The Microbiology and Environmental Biotechnology Research Group at ARC-SCW was formed around a decade ago and utilizes both fundamental as well as applied microbiology and biotechnology approaches to address soil, climate and water challenges in the microbial sphere.

Through the implementation of participatory approaches, hundreds of farmers were trained by ARC-SCW researchers in more sustainable and profitable farming practices, initially as part of the Department of Agriculture’s LandCare Programme and more recently via Conservation Agriculture (CA) technologies that have changed the agricultural landscape in South Africa. As a result of research on the relationships between soil, plants and water in dryland crop production, various rainwater harvesting and conservation technologies have been developed, tested and implemented for sustainable food production in rural communities in semi-arid areas of South Africa.

In 1970, the Department of Agriculture transferred the Agricultural Meteorology Research Unit to ARC-SCW, which then took over management of 79 mechanical weather stations. Over time, this network expanded to include 475 automatic weather stations. Currently, ARC-SCW also manages 138 stations for private clients, bringing the total number of weather stations in the Agrometeorological Monitoring Network to 613. Historically, data was received via the postal service and had to be manually transcribed from paper into a database. Now, in contrast, data from the automatic weather stations is electronically collected every hour at the Opsroom in Pretoria. This data is then processed and made available to researchers and clients either online or upon direct request.

In 2007, ARC-SCW acquired a light aircraft (Jabiru J430) that was fitted with a multispectral digital camera system. Known as ARCEagle, it was used for low-level remote sensing for projects such as alien vegetation surveys and the summer and winter crop estimates. The application of remote sensing techniques in agriculture is continuously improving and under the Precision Agriculture theme, index-based crop insurance technologies are bundled to develop a product that can open doors for especially small-scale farmers to capitalization of farm ventures. A satellite/drone-based aerial survey provides an accurate picture of the farm, and analytics can be run on the imagery to automatically extract the growth metrics, allowing farmers to isolate areas of potential loss and take corrective action.

National Public Good Assets encompass the collection, storage, analysis and dissemination of natural resource information for use in sustainable land management. These facilities are funded by the Department of Science and Innovation and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. ARC-SCW is the custodian of the following National Assets:

• • Soil information system
  
• • Climate information network
  
• • Coarse resolution satellite imagery database
  

In the years to come, the ARC-SCW campus of ARC-NRE will remain committed to the mission and strategic imperatives of the Agricultural Research Council. It will continue to promote the effective and efficient development and implementation of expertise and technology for sustainable natural resources management through research, technology development and transfer.

For more information:

Dr Garry Paterson

Research Team Manager: Soil Science

E-mail: garry@arc.agric.za

Scientific stimulation

GM TELA® Bt. maize is inspiring entrepreneurship and agri-processing in rural areas

The world population is projected to increase by 9.3 billion by 2050 and there is a consistent question on whether there will be enough food to meet the relative expected demand. In order to feed the growing population, estimations are that food production should increase by 70%. With that being said, the African continent has more than one quarter of the world’s arable land, that means that Africa has the highest opportunity to produce the bulk of the projected food production. It also said that stimulating agricultural productivity primarily depends on the adoption of improved agricultural technologies, including improved crop varieties such as transgenic crops that are largely linked to the impact on yield, profitability and food security. This is crucial for staple crops like maize. However, most countries in Africa have not been open to the idea of adopting agricultural technologies. As such, many have lower yields and are food insecure.

In 2016, the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), based in Nairobi, Kenya released the TELA® Bt. maize variety in seven African countries. The countries include Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Mozambique and Zambia. Attributes associated with this maize variety include high yields as this variety is tolerant to drought and resistant to pests such as stem-borers.

In South Africa, this variety was introduced to smallholder farmers in Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces through trials by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) in partnership with the AATF. The introduction of this variety to smallholder farmers is in line with the key national priorities of food security and rural economic development as stipulated in the NDP 2030. Farmers who plant this variety are buying the seeds from local seed companies.

A recent study regarding the TELA® Bt. maize planting households which was conducted by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) in Mpumalanga and Limpopo revealed that TELA® Bt. maize farmers get 61.1% more yield as compared to the normal maize varieties used by other farmers.

Not only did the TELA® Bt. maize improve farmers’ yields, but it has inspired the villagers in to invest in processing as well. For example, more than 60% of the farmers who are planting this variety are processing their harvested maize into mealie meal, flour and samp. One female farmer has told us how she was inspired by the higher maize yield to invest in maize processing plant. The farmer purchased few processing machines such as shilling machine and the processing plant machine for TELA® Bt. maize processing. She also provides processing services to other maize farmers around her area, at a cost, and mentioned that she is making a good income from this business adventure. Farmers from the study areas have also stated that they are delighted because they are no longer buying mealie meal from the supermarkets, as they now process their own maize.

Overall, farmers indicated that since the adoption of this variety, they save on purchasing pesticides due to reduced incidents of pest infestation. Hence, they earn more income from increased yields and can afford to access nutritious food.

The maize processing machines bought by a female TELA® Bt. maize farmerNow imagine if this could be scaled-up to most rural areas. The impact would be massive and could contribute to the NDP 2030 goal of creating strategies to include smallholder and black farmers in the agro-processing value chains. This goal is envisaged to afford poor producers greater collective market power such as developing partnerships. During the ARC field work it was observed that not all villages had the necessary processing facilities, and farmers also indicated that the cost of TELA® Bt. maize seed is high. It is therefore recommended that public private partnerships be established to assist the farmers with affordable improved seeds, technology transfer and agro-processing infrastructure.

Lesiba Pertunia Mailula, Research Assistant, Agricultural Research Council

Mutual upliftment

Partnerships can play a significant role in the success of the land reform programme, writes Peter Setou

Land reform in South Africa has long been a focal point for government, development agencies, donors, and for NGOs aiming to uplift communities and drive economic transformation.

It has, however, been challenging to achieve the aspirations of community members who benefit from land reform. Sustainable investment for commercial operations, regular revenue streams, job creation, and empowerment, have been difficult to come by. Various challenges, including insufficient funding for development, lack of technical knowledge, and limited access to affordable finance and to markets often hinder progress.

South Africa’s land reform program does, without a doubt, hold the potential to stimulate job creation, and economic growth, and to protect rural communities from food insecurity risks, among other things. However, large tracts of restituted land parcels in South Africa are not realising their economic potential, due to a lack of financial and other forms of support including limited access to markets.

To address these challenges, various approaches have been explored, with partnerships emerging as a crucial enabler of successful land reform. The Vumelana Advisory Fund’s Community Private Partnership (CPP) model is among the partnership models that have, without a doubt, shown promise in driving a successful land reform programme.

CPPs typically involve communities (the beneficiaries of the land reform programme) and private entities. In a CPP agreement, partnerships are structured to balance the sharing of resources, risks, and rewards. Commonly, communities contribute land and labour, while private sector partners bring capital and skills, access to finance, and markets, thus forming a symbiotic relationship aimed at mutual benefit and sustainable development. The model facilitates the mobilisation of finance, technical expertise, and skills development support, crucial for the success of commercial ventures on restored land.

CPPs differ from traditional management agreements, where the landowner bears all the risk, and from joint ventures that demand equal risk-sharing. Compared with other land reform approaches like collectives, lease agreements, and joint ventures, the CPP model stands out for its ability to address the pitfalls of these models, as it is a partnership-driven model in the true sense of a partnership. The CPP model recognise that partners may not be as capable of carrying the risk and that the balance of risks, resources, and rewards must be negotiated based on the specific circumstances of each case. By providing a structured and transparent partnership framework, the CPP model mitigates risks and enhances the chances of success for both communities and private investors.

CPPs leverage the strengths of both the communities and the private entities. They facilitate access to capital and expertise, promote sustainable development, create job opportunities, and empower communities to participate in economic activities. By sharing risks and rewards, CPPs align the interests of both parties and seek to promote the long-term progress of the land reform programme.

Despite its strengths, the CPP model is not without challenges. Disputes within communities, especially regarding benefit distribution and decision-making processes, can arise once financial benefits start flowing. To address these challenges, robust governance frameworks and community development strategies are essential. These frameworks can ensure transparent and inclusive decision-making processes, and foster trust and cooperation within communities.

The success of CPPs hinges on the careful negotiation and structuring of contracts to ensure that both parties can meet their obligations and exercise their rights effectively. These contracts address key questions such as the duration of the partnership, rent payments to the community, profit sharing, ownership of shares, capital investment, training programmes for the community, opportunities for community involvement in business operations, job creation, and the transfer of the business to the community at the end of the contract.

The CPP model has proven that South Africa can implement a successful land reform programme through a partnership-driven model. The model has been instrumental in promoting inclusive economic growth. Through this model as pioneered by Vumelana Advisory Fund, approximately 76 000 hectares of land have, to date, been put to productive use, attracting over R1 billion

in potential investment from private funders.

It is however important to note that for these partnerships to thrive and have the desired effect, they need to be taken to scale, and the government needs to establish an enabling environment that gives private investors the confidence to participate in the land reform programme. Greater incentives for commercial partnerships in land reform will further strengthen the process. It is also equally important to introduce independent transaction advisors in the equation in order to balance power relations between the community and the private parties. This however requires funding as it costs money to enlist the services of independent advisors. Both government and the private sector can play a role in funding these services in order to achieve sustainable partnerships for land reform.

Peter Setou is the Chief Executive of the Vumelana Advisory Fund (Vumelana) a non-profit organisation that was established in 2012 to help communities in the land reform programme to put their land to productive use through its Community Private Partnership (CPP) model. Vumelana funds advisory services to structure commercially viable partnerships between communities and investors that create jobs, income, and skills. Vumelana aims to demonstrate the value of partnerships as a means of fostering productive use of restored land, providing linkages to finance, skills and networks needed to make effective use of land, and at the same time encourage a more inclusive agenda for land reform. For more information about the organisation, visit www.vumelana.org.za. To contribute to Vumelana’s work, email info@vumelana.org.za

Stop the financial drip

Protect your income and remain competitive by ensuring proper maintenance of your orchard irrigation system

In the world of farming, investing in orchards and permanent crops is like planting seeds for long-term success. Think a decade or even up to 50 years! Planning is key, and having a solid business strategy that considers crop and variety, climate, terrain, water sources, and soil data is crucial.

Creating a reliable irrigation system is a big part of this plan. This involves getting fields ready, designing the system, and building proper drainage. The irrigation system covers everything from controlling the water source to fertigation, the pipe network, and drippers for each tree. Farmers who take good care of these systems see a significant impact on their profits.

Once the trees are planted, some things are out of a farmer’s hands, like climate and tree DNA. But assuming proper crop protection is in place, farmers can control factors like pruning and irrigation-chemigation to improve yields.

Irrigation systems typically have three main parts:

• • Head Control (roughly 20% of the cost): This includes the pump, filter, valve, fertigation, and automation and can last around 15 years.
  
• • Pipeline Network (approximately 50% of the cost): Made mostly of PVC and HDPE, it can last around 50 years.
  
• • Drip Lines (around 30% of the cost): The part that feeds the trees, and replacement need is dependent on multiple factors including the water source, product quality, and maintenance.
  

Ongoing monitoring of dripper uniformity and replacing them when needed is important. Each tree is a production unit, and a reliable dripper is crucial for water and nutrient supply.

Maintaining uniform water flow is vital. The coefficient of variation is a technical term that essentially says that water distribution should not only be consistent in total amount but also evenly spread across drippers and the root system.

There are three main methods to evaluate your dripline uniformity:

• • Flow Rate Monitoring: system flow rate from the flow meter, collect water samples from different spots along the dripline or blocks and measure dripper flow rate. Compare these numbers to what the system was designed for and the variation between the drippers.
  
• • Pressure Measurement: think of this like checking your system’s blood pressure or car tires. A pressure gauge is an easy way to check your system - it is visual and low-cost (it needs replacing when it is stuck), and you should install all blocks with the option of checking the dripper end line.
  
• • Visual Inspection: Take a good look at your drip line. Any leaks, clogs, or damage? Check those emitter outlets – are they playing fair and distributing water evenly? If you spot any issues, it’s like giving your system a little TLC. Fix up anything that’s not quite right to keep the water flowing where it needs to go.
  

For when you decide to replace the drip laterals in your orchard, consider using closer drip line emitter spacing. Closer drip line spacing, with more drippers per tree, results in denser feeding roots and support for improved crop yields. Upgrading the dripline before the irrigation season starts is the ideal move, and Rivulis products are designed to seamlessly integrate with existing systems and other brands, ensuring farmers have flexible and upgradable solutions. The Rivulis design team is always ready to check and assist with any drip system upgrades.

Rafi Golan, Senior Advisor Product and Application, Rivulis

Giving crops what they need

Iodine is necessary for plants to perform

Plants are essential to our survival on earth, and food security is under threat due to a growing world population. Therefore, we must adapt to produce more food on less arable land, with less available water, as well as being mindful of water quality. Luckily, farmers or food producers are an ever-adapting species. The mind-set has changed from a few years back to be more focused on production, and words like water-use efficiency and nutrient-use efficiency have become part of our everyday agricultural vocabulary. SQM, with its slogan “Solutions for Human Progress” has walked the extra mile and is constantly searching for ways to improve.

For a plant to complete a normal life cycle, there are a few essentials required like sunlight, CO2 and water. From a nutrient perspective however, a fresh definition for a mineral plant nutrient is: an element which is essential or beneficial for plant growth and development or for the quality attributes of the plant or harvested product, of a given plant

species, grown in its natural or cultivated environment**. It is well researched that we have mineral nutrients that are required in larger amounts than others, and that is where the concept of Justus von Liebig’s “Law of Minimum” began. SQM began researching the effect of Iodine as a plant nutrient 10 years ago, applying it to plants in various ways. The plants reacted to iodine in a positive manner regarding increased biomass and root development.

The test was conducted with Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant of the mustard seed family, with well known gene expression and protein bindings. What was concluded in the test is: Plants need iodine and that plants can also suffer from iodine deficiency. This means that plants can recognize iodine and respond to changes within the gene expression. It was seen with a gene-chip that 531 genes in the roots and 48 genes in the rosettes respond uniquely to iodine. Iodination of proteins means that plants bind iodine in proteins, which plays an important and conserved function in biological processes of the plants . With the help of radio-isotope detection, it was noticed that iodine is bound into 82 proteins in the plant. The IFA (International Fertilizer Association) has declared that iodine is a plant beneficial nutrient.

The question now is how do we supply crops with the right amount of iodine? SQM has developed a product called Ultrasoline K Plus* - Potassium Nitrate with added Iodine - which contains a calculated amount of Iodine in the product. All horticultural crops have a requirement for Potassium Nitrate in the nutrient solution. By applying Ultasoline K Plus to your crops, you will be supplying N- in the form of Nitrate and Potassium as well as the right amount of iodine. The best results have been achieved when Ultrasoline K Plus was fertigated in the nutrient solution.

Worldwide trials in over 52 countries, on different crops in different climate conditions, have seen on average a 10% increase in yield when compared to Potassium Nitrate without iodine. Furthermore, Ultrasoline K Plus has shown in these trials that the calcium content of the fruits increased throughout the season; this concludes that Iodine has an effect on the Calcium signaling within the plant, and therefore ensures that in the presence of good Calcium fertigation, the redistribution of Calcium to the fruits will be enhanced.

A test was done at the University of Ghent regarding the pollen viability on peppers when exposed to heat stress. This was done by way of exposing a flower bud to 35 degrees Celsius heat for 24 hours, and testing the viability after exposure. It was noticed that only 1% of pollen was still viable without Ultrasoline K Plus. In contrast, 25% of the pollen was still viable with the added iodine in Ultrasoline K Plus.

Ultrasoline K Plus is an easy, compatible and scientific method of ensuring that a plant receives enough Iodine throughout the life-cycle of the plant.

*Reg No K11316 Act 36/1947. Registration holder Sociedad Quimica y Minera (Africa)(Pty)Ltd

** References can be available on request.

Disclaimer

The information herein contained is given to the best of SQM’s knowledge and is believed to be accurate. The conditions of your use and application of the suggested recommendations, are beyond our control. No warranty is made as to the accuracy of any data or statements contained herein. SQM specifically disclaims any responsibility or liability relating to the use of the recommendations and shall under no circumstances whatsoever, be liable for any special, incidental or consequential damages arising from such use.

Standing up for SA citrus

South Africa initiates WTO dispute against EU citrus black spot regulations

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) have announced that SA has requested consultations with the European Union in the World Trade Organisation in relation to phytosanitary trade regulations imposed on South African citrus by the European Union (EU).

This action was initiated to find a lasting solution to the EU’s phytosanitary regulations on Citrus Black Spot (CBS), in order to protect the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people in the local citrus industry. The steps taken by the SA Government has the support of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA).

CBS is a fungal infection that can result in cosmetic blemishes on the affected fruit. Despite the world’s leading scientists proving that CBS cannot be transmitted through the actual fruit as a pathway, the EU has continued to enforce measures on South African citrus growers. These involve a detailed spray programme and inspections at orchard and packhouse level with significant financial burden and other unintended consequences for the South African industry.

Thoko Didiza, Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development highlighted the importance of jobs in the citrus industry. “Rural economies throughout the country depend on the export of citrus for their income. Currently, the industry cannot afford the almost R2 billion that is needed to comply with the EU’s trade restrictive regulations.”

Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition stressed that “the EU market makes up one third of all citrus exports from South Africa and is central to the profitability of the citrus industry. The EU’s volumes cannot be absorbed by other markets. The consultations are a critical step in the WTO towards effective resolution of South Africa’s concerns. This follows many years of attempts by South Africa, through good faith engagement, to find a solution to trade-restrictive measures by the EU against South African products. It is our view that the measures by the EU are not justified, proportionate or appropriate”.

Justin Chadwick, the CEO of the CGA stated that “the industry welcomes government’s actions and the industry is hoping for efficient resolution of the matter in view that the consultations are initiated as this year’s citrus export season commences”. Projections show that if all industry stakeholders come together, the industry will be able to produce an additional 100 million 15kg cartons over the next eight years. “This can create 100 000 more jobs and generate an additional R20 billion in annual revenue, but this potential will surely be lost if the EU market narrows,” he said.

The action by the South African government seeks to safeguard an agricultural sector that contributes significantly to the economy. The South African government looks forward to constructive consultations with the EU to find an amicable solution.

Maklike beheer
van moeilike insekte

Bekamp blaarmyner, aartappelmot, en Tuta absoluta

Die gewasbeskermingsbedryf is wêreldwyd onder druk om veiliger chemie te gebruik en ’n meer verantwoordelike benadering tot plaagbeheer te volg. SPINOSIN 480 SC, met die aktiewe bestanddeel spinosad, voldoen aan al dié vereistes.

Wat is spinosad?

Spinosad, die aktiewe bestanddeel van SPINOSIN 480 SC, is bekend vir sy goeie werking op Lepidoptera en ander insekplae in verskeie gewasse. Spinosad is ontwikkel uit die Actinomycetes-bakterieë (Saccharopolyspora spinosa) deur ’n fermentasieproses baie soortgelyk aan die meer bekende Bacillus thuringiensis-materiaal. Wat spinosad in ’n heel ander klas sit as die gewone chemie is die feit dat dit baie veilig is vir bye, parasitiese wespes en ander voordelige insekte sodra dit droog is. Dit beteken ons kan hierdie chemie gebruik waar meeste ander glad nie gebruik kan word.

Hoe werk spinosad?

Spinosad is ’n nie-sistemiese maar wel translaminêre aktiewe bestanddeel. Dit het ’n baie breë spektrum insekbeheer in aartappels, onder meer bolwurm, aartappelmot, Tuta absoluta asook blaarmyners, wat beteken minder mengsels van verskillende produkte word benodig om al die belangrike plae te beheer.

Daar is baie min tot geen weerstandigheid teen dié aktief en die beste resultate word gesien waar probleem-insekte dit opneem deur dit te vreet; dit het ook ’n matige kontakwerking. Dit is ook alombekend dat sekere insekte weerstandbiedend is teen piretrioïede;SPINOSIN 480 SC pas perfek in by hierdie tipe gevalle.

Praktiese gebruik

SPINOSIN 480 SC het ’n kort onthoudingsperiode van 7 dae in aartappels, wat laatseisoentoedienings moontlik maak. SPINOSIN 480 SC is ook

onder andere geregistreer vir tamaties, canola en kool en kan op ’n groot verskeidenheid gewasse toegedien word.

SPINOSIN 480 SC word aanbeveel teen 150 tot 300 ml/ha met ’n minimum van twee agtereenvolgende spuite elke 7 tot 10 dae. Dit is belangrik om genoegsame water toe te dien om goeie bedekking te verseker en die toevoeging van DIRECT teen 50 tot 100 ml per 100 liter water word aanbeveel. INTERLOCK® teen 250 ml/ha is ook altyd voordelig in enige toediening vir beter bedekking en penetrasie.

Gebruik SPINOSIN 480 SC in jou aartappel-aanplantings vir maklike beheer van moeilike insekte.

Albert Potgieter, Landboukundige (Villa)

Agile staffing solutions

TES providers can boost profitability and enhance community relations in the citrus farming industry

The South African citrus industry grapples with numerous challenges, including logistical issues around the timing of harvests and moving the products timeously through the value chain, international regulations, and changing weather. Adding to these is the introduction of a new national minimum wage, which significantly impacts agricultural input costs and can have a negative impact on profitability if not handled effectively.

Agility is critical, and a strategic approach is necessary when it comes to ensuring cost effectiveness while managing labour requirements. A Temporary Employment Services (TES) partner can be an asset, handling the admin and giving citrus farmers access to a flexible, legally compliant workforce that can be made available at short notice to cope with the unpredictability of the industry.

Facing adversity

Like all produce farmers, the citrus sector must deal with the challenges presented by the weather, which is becoming increasingly unpredictable and shifting growing and harvest seasons. Unseasonal rains and turbulent weather, including incidents of flooding, have become more and more common. This in turn makes it tricky to know when labour will be required for harvesting, adding a layer of complexity to planning.

In South Africa, we also have challenges around community relations issues, as well as logistics throughout the value chain. From picking and packing to moving the product through to its final destination, whether this is local or international, there are bottlenecks and factors outside of farmers’ control that can have a negative impact.

The new national minimum wage puts farmers under added pressure, especially when you consider the increased cost of electricity. However, it is the law, and it must be followed, along with regulations around the hiring of foreign nationals. The Department of Labour is also actively cracking down on the employment of illegal migrant workers, and farmers need to ensure they are fully compliant to avoid additional challenges.

Flexibility is critical

The nature of the industry means that farmers need to pick the fruit at exactly the right time, and then get it through the value chain on time, which means any disruption or delay is detrimental. Being able to handle these challenges requires farmers to be adaptable and have flexibility and effective business continuity planning in place. Part of this planning needs to include labour management.

Partnering with the right TES provider is an effective way of optimising costs and delivering the flexible workforce they need while maintaining good community relations. Your TES partner should be compliant and fully aware of the compliance burden on farmers, including labour, safety, and sanitary laws as well as fair trade regulations. This will give you the flexibility to scale and descale the workforce quickly while remaining compliant, which is a major benefit and a source of competitive advantage.

As an example, we are increasingly seeing that fruit is ready to be picked sooner than expected and sooner than is usual, which means teams of labour are necessary at short notice. The ability to source and supply skilled, compliant, and experienced labour at short notice is essential to take advantage of this small window, and then, when the harvest is over, the workforce can be scaled back again to optimise costs.

A TES will handle all the administrative burden of managing a large seasonal head count, including background checks, site training and induction as well as HR and industrial relations, tax, and labour compliance and more. This bolsters operations and enables citrus farmers to focus on their competency of farming, while an expert labour provider handles the staffing component. In addition, the right TES partner can boost resilience by providing the financial capacity to disperse wages weekly, while invoicing monthly. An added advantage to working with a reputable TES partner is their ability to engage with communities and community leaders on a continual basis to ensure open lines of communication, which is key in maintaining good community relations.

While TES are often seen as an added cost, they are a contributor to profitability, ensuring flexible staffing that is compliant, while helping to foster stable community engagement and relations. By taking on the labour component, a TES enables farmers to focus on farming, which helps them better handle external influences to minimise the impact of volatility.

Musa Dlamini, Regional Director at Workforce Staffing

Going back to the roots

Links between root architecture, root exudates and soil microbes

Humanity is presently facing several threats including food insecurity that are exacerbated by climate change and the dwindling arable land reserves.

There is a dire need to increase food production to ensure that the projected 10 billion people populating the Earth by 2050 are sufficiently fed. To achieve this, crops of the future need to flourish even with limited land, water and nutrient supply.

To address these challenges, crop breeding strategies have long been implemented to improve above-ground biomass to enhance crop yield. In spite of the leaps and bounds made by breeding programmes to increase yields, the high-yielding cultivars often struggle with modern day stresses related to climate change. This is probably the result of breeding programmes focusing on above-ground traits and neglecting below-ground traits related to crop roots and their associated impact on soil microorganisms and functions.

Root architectural traits

Plant roots form the primary interface between the soil and the plant. Roots explore the soil and play a key role in water and nutrient acquisition by the plant. Architectural traits of roots include the surface area of the root, root length and thickness, the degree of root branching and root depth, among others. The architecture/structure of the roots determines the degree of contact they have with the soil. Root architecture is determined by the genetics of the plant as well as environmental factors such as soil type, composition of the soil, moisture content and nutrient availability. Research studies have shown that there is a positive relationship between root architecture and crop yield. However, the interface between soil and roots is very complex and the root architecture itself is not the only factor that influences plant growth. The rhizosphere, which is the region of the soil that directly interacts with plant roots, is influenced by secretions from the roots (exudates). These root exudates control the rhizosphere soil microbes and their functions, which contributes to improved plant growth.

Root exudates and microbe recruitment

Plants fix atmospheric carbon through photosynthesis and produce sugars and other essential carbon compounds to grow. However, at some stages of the plant’s development, 30-40% of the carbon is sent to the roots in the form of exudates. This begs the question, why do plants expend energy on the production and secretion of root exudates instead of directing all their energy towards plant growth?

Exudates from roots include amino acids, sugars, organic acids and hormones, as well as highly specialized compounds to control the soil microorganisms. These exudates serve several beneficial roles in the soil and to the plant. They may have a toxic effect on plant pathogens and may even have allelopathic properties, thereby preventing out-competition by neighbouring weeds and plants. Exudates may also aid in plant establishment and resilience in the soil.

Another important function of the exudates is the recruitment of soil microbes to the rhizosphere. These microbes utilize the exudates as a carbon and nutrient source and in turn provide the plant with plant nutrients like phosphorus and water. An example is mychorrhizal fungi. Studies have shown that the exudate profile of plants enables the recruitment of selected microbial taxa. This adds to the amazing properties of plants. Being a brainless, sessile organism, the plant is still able to shape the microbial population in its rhizosphere to ensure that it benefits substantially from the relationship. So, why are we not seeking strategies to put this intricate relationship in the rhizosphere to more use, to maximize food production?

Whilst several studies have been conducted on the introduction of microbial inoculants with plant growth promoting properties into agroecosystems, fewer studies have focused on the engineering of pre-existing, indigenous microbiomes. Microbiome engineering in the rhizosphere may be achieved by breeding plants with specific, desirable root architectural and functional traits such as the release of specialized compounds with the root exudates.

Breeding for below-ground traits

The morphology and architecture of plant roots coupled with soil type are of utmost importance for water and nutrient acquisition, hence certain root architectural traits have been a breeding target to enhance climate resilience in crops. One aspect that is missing, however, is the breeding of plants with root traits that promote a more robust, plant-beneficial rhizospheric microbiome. This breeding strategy would improve the interaction between the soil, plant roots and rhizospheric microbes, which is essential for the development and health of plants.

For example, root diameter may be considered as a targeted trait. In this instance, thinner roots may be considered for their positive attributes, which influence rhizospheric microbiome dynamics. Thin roots secrete higher levels of root exudates than thicker roots, allowing a more effective recruitment of beneficial rhizospheric microbes. Thinner roots also promote nutrient cycling due to increased root turnover.

Moreover, space constraints on thinner roots promote competition between rhizobacteria. With further study of the influence of root architecture on microbiome dynamics, several additional root architectural traits may be targeted with the aim of engineering a robust, resilient rhizospheric microbiome that could contribute to improving the fitness of crops when exposed to stresses related to variable or extreme weather conditions.

WISH-ROOTS project and partners

An ongoing project titled “Tuning the wheat root microbiome to improve soil health and optimize rhizosphere nitrogen cycling and availability (WISH-ROOTS)” aims at restoring and preserving soil health through wheat root traits by screening root traits for 20 landrace cultivars of bread and durum wheat. The international research consortium include partners from the United Kingdom, Italy, South Africa, China, Germany, Belgium and Spain. Overall, the project anticipates to provide resources to develop advantageous cultivars for farmers that support a more sustainable use of land, by reintroducing the positive traits of the landraces, such as beneficial root architectural traits, thereby improving soil microbial biodiversity and structure, as well as nutrient cycling.

The WISH-ROOTS project is funded by the European Joint Programme Soil ERA-NET (HORIZON 2020) and the New Zealand Government to support the objectives of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA). The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) is leading the South African component of the project.

For more information:

Visit the WISH-ROOTS website: https://www.wishroots-ejpsoil.net/

and social media page: https://twitter.com/wish_roots

or contact:

Dr Ashira Roopnarain; e-mail:
RoopnarainA@arc.agric.za

Dr Busiswa Ndaba; e-mail:
NdabaB@unisa.ac.za

Mr Michael Kidson; e-mail:
Michael@arc.agric.za

Dr Buhlebelive Mndzebele; e-mail: MndzebeleB@arc.agric.za

Dr Maria Hernandez-Soriano; e-mail:
Maria.Hernandez-Soriano@jic.ac.uk

ARC-Natural Resources and Engineering (NRE) & Vegetable, Industrial and Medicinal Plants (VIMP); University of South Africa (UNISA) and John Innes Centre, UK

State-of-the-art telematics

Modular design improves productivity, safety, and management efficiency.

In the rapidly evolving sector of agriculture, efficiency and sustainability are paramount. Developed by Ctrack, Crystal is a cutting-edge platform that offers a comprehensive suite of telematics tools designed, which can be utilised to boost agricultural operations. Managing and maximising asset utilisation are critical in boosting the productivity of any agricultural operation. Crystal’s capabilities extend to detailed asset tracking and reporting, ensuring that every piece of machinery is used optimally, reducing idle times, and increasing overall efficiency. This systemic oversight helps in prolonging asset lifespans by preventing overuse and facilitating timely maintenance.

With the advanced capabilities of Crystal by Ctrack, farmers can now monitor the subtlest movements of their assets with remarkable precision. This feature allows for detailed reporting on the lines followed and the direction of equipment as it plows, sows, or dusts the fields. Such meticulous tracking not only enhances the accuracy of field operations but also optimizes the overall management of agricultural activities, ensuring every pass is perfectly aligned with the farm’s operational goals.

Crystal’s suite of core features is enhanced by its modular design which allows for plugins to be added as needed that can be specifically applied in farming to improve productivity, safety, and management efficiency.

Streamlined job and route management

The efficiency of agricultural operations often hinges on the ability to coordinate tasks and optimise routes. The Jobs and Scheduling Plug-In within Crystal allows farm managers to automate job assignments and route planning for their machinery and workforce. This integration results in superior task coordination, reducing overlaps and ensuring that operations such as sowing, fertilising, and harvesting are executed within optimal time frames.

Enhanced delivery confirmation process

Timely and verified delivery of agricultural products to markets and processors is crucial. The Electronic Proof of Delivery (EPOD) Plug-In ensures that each shipment is digitally confirmed upon delivery, providing real-time updates and reducing discrepancies between dispatched and received goods. This feature is particularly beneficial for tracking the transport of perishable goods, ensuring they are delivered within their freshness window.

Advanced analytics for informed decision-making

The Analytics Plug-In enables farms to leverage data from various sources across their operations to enhance decision-making capabilities. By analysing performance metrics and operational data, farmers can optimise resource allocation, improve efficiency, and adjust practices to better suit current conditions, ultimately reducing waste and enhancing yield.

Enhanced fleet safety and security with cameras and video

The safety and security of machinery and assets are critical in large-scale farming operations. The Video Plug-In provides round-the-clock surveillance of equipment and facilities. Real-time video feeds help monitor and respond to incidents rapidly, whether it’s unauthorized access to storage areas or monitoring machinery operations to prevent accidents.

Customize the capabilities of your device for smarter fleet management

This allows farms to develop custom scripts and algorithms tailored to their specific operational needs. This focus enables farms to automate certain processes within their control. This allows for bespoke solutions to specific problems.

Precise temperature monitoring for sensitive cargo

For sectors of agriculture that deal with temperature-sensitive products like dairy or certain crops, maintaining the right conditions during transport is vital. The Temperature Report Plug-In monitors and records temperature data, ensuring that conditions remain within a safe range to preserve product integrity. This plugin can be utilised for different situations where environmental monitoring is required, like a storage silo or building.

Crystal’s suite of telematics tools offers comprehensive solutions tailored to modern agricultural needs. From optimizing resource management to enhancing operational oversight, these tools not only promise to increase efficiency but also aim to support sustainable farming practices. By integrating Crystal’s technology, farms can navigate the challenges of modern agriculture and emerge more productive and sustainable.

The whole truth about whole grains

Food system transformation presents huge opportunity

According to a new report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) entitled The Whole Truth about Whole Grains, there is huge opportunity in food system transformation, but it’s critical to change what is grown, processed and consumed thoughtfully and gradually.

Currently, most of the grains are stripped of the bulk of their important nutrients, and these “refined” grains are a substantial contributor to today’s diet-related diseases. Further, the way grains are produced globally has come to have a detrimental environmental impact.

A shift to growing and eating whole grains additionally fortified with vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) along with more diversified cereals, can address both the nutritional and environmental issues and enable moving toward much greater planetary and human health.

The nutritional deficits of refined grains—through the loss of essential vitamins, minerals, fibre, proteins, healthy fats, and phytochemicals—are not their only drawback. While meat production is responsible for greater carbon emissions per ton than grain production, the massive volume of grains grown every year translates to significant environmental damage.

According to a range of climate and nature metrics, grains have the biggest environmental impact of all forms of food production.

“Shifting to greater production and consumption of fortified whole grains can address food insecurity and environmental impact, as well as poor nutrition,” says report co-author, Zoë Karl-Waithaka, Managing Director and Partner at BCG, Nairobi.

Fortified whole grains deliver six to seven times the nutritional value as the same amount of a grain that is later refined. They provide greater nutrition with fewer inputs, reducing the environmental footprint by emitting fewer greenhouse gases and requiring less land and water to produce the same amount of food. By using fewer synthetic inputs, soil and ecosystem health improves, and the need for smaller parcels of land reduces deforestation and thus habitat and biodiversity loss.

“Shifting to fortified whole grains would take no additional resources than we use today to produce 20% more food for human consumption,” adds Karl-Waithaka.

When it comes to the sustainability of our food systems, experts have rightly paid significant attention to how crops are grown, including grains, weighing the benefits of using practices such as agroecology and regenerative agriculture. But another valuable tool is to make shifts in what is produced and consumed.

BCG’s analysis shows that growing, processing, and consuming fortified whole grains can have transformational benefits across a range of metrics. The firm’s research focused on the “big three” of wheat, corn, and rice and compared their fortified whole form to their refined form.

Other findings include:

• • Greenhouse gas emissions caused by global grain production are greater than the emissions of Russia, Brazil, and Germany combined.
  
• • Only 26% of wheat and 3% of rice are fortified, and less than one-quarter of all grains are consumed whole.
  
• • Fortified whole grains provides 6-7 times the nutritional value as the same amount of a grain that is later refined. They have 20% - 25% less impact on greenhouse gas emissions and land, water, fertiliser, and pesticide use per volume unit; and 85%-90% less environmental impact per nutritional unit.
  
• • A 30% increase in the adoption of whole grains globally would result in a 120 million metric ton CO2e decrease in greenhouse gas emissions annually.
  

Next steps for all players

A full replacement of the refined versions of the grains eaten today isn’t realistic. In addition, the shift toward fortified whole grains should be gradual. Nonetheless, using more of these foods can be a dramatically effective tool in both mitigating and adapting to changes in climate and nature.

Players across sectors and value chains can seize this opportunity, although they must do so while being sensitive to the cultural contexts that define food preferences.

Governments can act directly by shifting institutional procurement to fortified whole grains, particularly for school meals. And they can take indirect action by enforcing existing fortification mandates and promoting legislation that requires subsidies or tax breaks to support the cultivation and fortification of whole grains and the use of environmental labeling.

NGOs can strongly encourage the production and consumption of whole grains and fortified whole grains. And they can encourage best farming practices and reductions in food loss and waste.

Companies can increase the share of whole grain products within their portfolios and incorporate higher percentages of fortified whole grains in new product lines as part of their net zero ambitions. To make this work, they must offer products that deliver comparable functional attributes—including shelf life, cooking characteristics, and taste—that consumers value in refined-grain products.

“Agriculture is a major contributor to change in the planetary boundaries that have already been crossed, with grains the biggest culprit among food crops. We need to shift to resource-efficient and cost-effective high-quality nutrition. Fortified whole grains offer a powerful solution for people and the planet,” says Karl-Waithaka.

The promise of wonder crops

Today, 52% of our food is sourced from only six plant species, with 50% of calories coming from rice, wheat, and corn. In many parts of the world, these crops have sidelined other largely indigenous and potentially more nutritional crops that used to be cultivated widely but now take up a much lower share of cultivated land—and of people’s diets.

In Africa, these “wonder crops,” particularly cereals such as millet, tef, fonio, and sorghum, are better suited to their environment. They’re less resource intensive, more pest and drought resistant, and more adapted to regional terrains than the big three.

Overall, wonder crops provide an opportunity to drive crop species and global diet diversity in a way that is environmentally efficient given the amount of nutrition they produce. Shifting to these crops will require more research to optimise their yield and promote their cultivation.

Says Karl-Waithaka, “there is huge opportunity in food system transformation. But it will be critical to change what we grow, process, and consume thoughtfully and gradually.”

From testing and experience

Is technological development with centre pivots a luxury or essential?

Can the use of technologically advanced products with pivots or the upgrading of existing pivots bring about a significant savings on running costs and increased yields? – For sure!

If you have an existing centre pivot system, start by evaluating the condition of system. If it is old and inefficient, much can be accomplished by getting the system up to standard. Repair leaks and repair or replace underperforming pumps. Make sure that non return and foot valves are in good working order, keeping the pipe lines filled after shut down. This would eliminate filling empty lines on startup, saving costs.

Spray packages

The biggest technological development in the centre pivot industry over the past 30 years is surely what has been achieved with sprinkler technology.

From our testing and experience over time in the field, we can report with excitement that with the correct sprinkler package we were able to measure the best improvement of water in the soil compared to pivots with cheaper sprinkler packages; an improvement of up to 38%** (**these evaluations were all done with temperatures above 30°C in hot, dry wind conditions in August/September in the North west Province).

To explain this, we will have to look at the variety of pivot sprinklers available in the market, their inherent properties and its effect on sprinkler performance.

To understand the outcome, we must firstly look at the three core characteristics that contribute most to the effectiveness of water-in-the-soil. All three of these characteristics are very important but are the result of a specific sprinkler design and an insurmountable limitation with certain design types.

• • Ideal drop size is important. “Too large” droplets compact the soil, leading to runoff and limited infiltration. Despite the fact that the evaporation factor with “too large droplets” is negligible, compacting of soil and resulting runoff leads to more serious problems with less water in the soil. If droplets are too small, evaporation increase exponentially. There is however a very important proven ideal droplet size.
  
• • Uniform water distribution under each sprinkler is important. Why is this of such importance? Even if droplet sized would be perfect but their distribution would be concentrated more to the outside of the spray pattern (due to inherent spray design) the more water on the outside edge would cause faster saturation and runoff, especially on the critical outside edge of the pivot and more so with high application packages and on larger pivots.
  
• • The widest spray diameter is important. If the sprayer diameter (band width) is too small, it also creates higher application rates and resulting runoff. -
  

Is it possible to get these ideal qualities or as many of them as possible, in a single sprinkler?

There has been tremendous research work in pivot sprinkler development over the years by mainly the three major international pivot sprinkler manufacturers. So, what is available and what has been achieved over the past few years?

• • The basic solid spray plate type sprinkler. It represents the oldest type, purpose-built fixed pray plate designs. Although these sprainklers are the cheaper sprinklers in the manufacturers’ ranges, much development has also been done with the jet designs to be more wind resistant through variations of build and playing with exit angles and improved patterns, among other things.
  

- Advantage is price.

-  Disadvantages are limited bandwidth especially at lower pressures and, although much improved, an inherent constraint to achieve the “ideal drop size” throughout. Ideal water distribution is also restrictive due to the inherent design constraints. These sprayers were often put on expensive booms to increase bandwidth and reduce runoff. It is still used today with “LEPA” system (Low Energy Precision Application) by mounting it low (to limit the inherent high evaporation of the type of sprayer), using it at low pressure (to save energy) but then mounting the sprayers very close together (to compensate for the smaller bandwidth and ensure adequate overlap). What it does not address is the resulting very high application rates that will only work on flat surfaces or soils with a high infiltration capacity; It is closer to a controlled flood irrigation system and cannot be used on any soil/crop. Effectiveness of water in the soil is quite high if sealing of the soil surface is not a problem and it is not lost through runoff or in wheel tracks! Wheel track problems often become a headache with these systems.

• • Moving sprinklers were the next stage of development and particularly addressed the restrictive bandwidth at lower pressure of the fixed plate sprayers.
  

-  The first developments had a better bandwidth and therefore a slightly lower application rate but could not yet idealize the distribution under the sprinkler nor improved the droplet size much.

-  The second breakthrough development by one of the companies was with a moving, free-motion spray plate that for the first time could cut the droplets into very close to the ideal and constant droplet sizes. Secondly, this technological development has managed to distribute the water evenly under the entire sprinkler surface. Thirdly, a wider bandwidth was created by the benefit of the movement energy of the distribution plate projecting the water further. This sprinkler, for the first time, addressed the largest percentage of pivot sprinkler problems and limitations, in one product.

-  What this development can offer is therefore better controlled droplets, even distribution under the sprinklers and wider bandwidth all adding to dramatically lower evaporation, better infiltration rates and less runoff, if any, with a wider range of soil types and this at 1 Bar ideal working pressure on the sprinkler. With figures already as high as 95+% of the water pumped through the pivot on a hot dry day measured in the soil and that at 2.7m above ground, this product has made a new breakthrough in pivot spray technology.

-  The next technological sprinkler development was done by one of the other companies who further refined this already excellent product principle! This gives us access to a product that has even better droplet size control, a motion mechanism with lower operational resistance (spray pressures are now 0.7 Bar and optionally even 4.2 Bar) and has a lower wear resistance (this ensures that the sprinklers retain its new efficiencies/level of performance over many years; a restriction with the first-generation motion sprayers). We conducted internal trials with these sprinklers (0.7 Bar version) at 2.7m above ground and measured temperatures above 30°C, more than 97% water in the soil and with the 0.42 Bar version with the slightly larger droplet we could not measure any loss.

Advanced soil moisture measurement

The use of multi-level soil moisture probes measuring irrigation depth in the soil can be utilized to manage the minimum and maximum soil moisture levels. Not “too wet” and not “too dry” is equally important; crossing the “too little” line will damage the plant and crossing the “too much” line will temporarily stun growth. When managed correctly there is not only an increased growth/yield but also reduced water consumption!

There are many more that can be done but the above discussed represent the highest cost saving combined with the best yield improvement.

Please contact Theuns Dreyer of SENTER360 for further discussion of this topic on 082 564 5955

Reduce variability and increase profitability

Make Pannar’s white maize
hybrids part of your success story

We know that purchasing seed is one of the most critical decisions you make each year. When it comes to widely adapted, agronomically well-balanced white maize, Pannar’s market-leading package offers stable performance, strong seedling vigour, early plant establishment and respected grain and milling quality. Speak to our skilled team about how you can reduce variability in productivity and increase profitability on your farm.

Pannar’s maize package comprises various growth classes and includes conventional, stalk borer resistant, glyphosate tolerant and stacked gene hybrids. These hybrids are recommended for grain and silage production, as well as for maize foggage.

The Pannar white maize hybrid package is distinguished by its exceptional performance, adaptability and stability for good risk management.

Pannar introduced its first two maize hybrids with PowerCore® trait technology in 2022. Over the past two seasons, South Africa’s maize farmers have experienced long-lasting control of targeted above-ground insects. The PowerCore® trait technology provides broad spectrum protection against above-ground lepidopteran pests, stacked with glyphosate herbicide-tolerant technology for premium insect and weed control. This season, Pannar’s range of white maize hybrids with PowerCore® trait technology expands to five, with the introduction of
PAN 5P-947PW and PAN 5P-955PW.

PAN 5P-947PW is the new stacked gene offering in the PAN 5R-547R hybrid platform. This medium early platform with exceptional yield potential and very good stability is well-adapted to the sandy soils of the north western Free State and the North West regions.

PAN 5P-955PW is an exciting new medium early hybrid platform for the western production areas. This hybrid has good standability and an excellent prolificacy index, yet tends not to produce too many tillers. Good germination with strong seedling vigour makes it the best choice on the sandy soils of the north western Free State. It also has good overall leaf disease tolerance.

PAN 5R-539Ris a medium early hybrid with tolerance to glyphosate herbicide. It is an entirely new platform and a harbinger of the next frontier of genetic gain in maize production. This hybrid is double cobbing with a flex-ear type that can compensate for optimum production conditions. It also has excellent standability. PAN 5R-539R performs very well on the sandy soils of the western production areas.

PAN 5R-523R is another entirely new platform revealing new generation genetics with an upright plant type allowing for improved harvestability. It is a medium early hybrid with tolerance to glyphosate herbicide. This hybrid has good standability and an excellent prolificacy index as well as a high-test weight that contributes to its yield potential. In testing, PAN 5R-523R has exhibited exceptional yield performance in the water table soils of the north western Free State. It is also well adapted to the North West production regions.

At Pannar our journey with you doesn’t end at planting. We want to see you achieve the full profitability and performance potential benefits of our products. We provide accurate placement recommendations and farm management guidelines based on long-term, multi-region agronomic trials. This work is undertaken in our Panagri™ programme.

Talk to a Pannar sales representative to learn more about our product range, as well as our Panagri™ and Panacea® programs to unlock their full potential or visit www.pannar.com

Christin Hunter, Marketing Manager,
Pannar Seed

One-stop lab testing partner to support agricultural business growth

From staple crops to animal feed and irrigation water, food safety testing is essential in ensuring product quality and safety within the dynamic and consumer-driven agricultural market.

As agricultural businesses rapidly advance their products from farm to market, maintaining robust testing and compliance often poses significant challenges.

One-stop lab testing solutions can streamline the microbiology testing industry and boost market growth for enterprises.

Testing maintains product integrity

The acceleration of agricultural products to market can be challenging, and one in which thorough lab testing cannot be overlooked. With heightened awareness on agricultural safety, there is a demand from the public for accountability from producers. Minor errors can result in product recalls, reputational damage, and legal consequences. Testing labs, such as AssureCloud, form an important part of the production cycle, by offering comprehensive testing services that ensure products are safe and compliant, all from a single location.

Testing reaches beyond regulatory compliance as it enables producers to detect potential problems early in the crop development cycle and enhances consumer confidence and brand trust as products reach the market.

By adopting a one-stop shop approach, agricultural businesses can achieve improved levels of efficiency, reliability, and expertise throughout their production processes.

AssureCloud’s one-stop solution for agriculture

Testing service provider AssureCloud, which has the largest footprint of laboratories and inspection services in Southern Africa, is transitioning its facilities into comprehensive one-stop testing centres designed to support the growth strategies of agricultural clients.

AssureCloud offers food safety testing, GlobalGAP certification, inspection, and training solutions tailored for all entities within the agricultural sector.

It is also one of SA’s few Biotoxin-accredited laboratories for seafood, the country’s first Asbestos Accredited Laboratory, and a specialist in Salmonella Serotype Testing.

Agricultural industry landscape

Testing agricultural products for harmful microorganisms such as Aflatoxin, Salmonella, E. Coli, and Listeria is crucial before they can be distributed to the market. As the agricultural sector evolves, so does its safety regulations, pressed by authoritative bodies to ensure adherence. A one-stop shop partner, who additional evolves with the industry, can safely support client’s needs.

Testing, beyond compliance with regulations, allows manufacturers to identify potential issues early in the development cycle, and, later in the buying cycle, builds consumer trust and brand reputation. This requires a joint effort by lab and client, to ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality agricultural products to the market.

Restoring the sugar industry

SA Canegrowers hopeful amid Sugar Industry Masterplan Phase 2 talks

SA Canegrowers is hopeful that the engagement on 25 April with Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel and Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza will mark a step forward in the creation of a second phase of the Sugarcane Value Chain Masterplan, a social compact between industry and the government. As the industry recovers from years of successive crises, the one million livelihoods it supports depend on the collaboration of government and value chain partners.

SA Canegrowers has long championed the Masterplan as an invaluable platform for cooperation to address the existential problems facing the sugar industry. The industry has shown resilience as it faced years of challenges including floods, an onslaught of cheap imports, and the Health Promotion Levy (sugar tax) which was instituted in 2018.

What is required now is government support to ensure the future sustainability and profitability of the sector, and to restore demand for locally produced sugar. As part of this effort, it is critical that the government commits to not increasing the sugar tax in 2025, as this would threaten more than 21,000 small-scale growers' ability to feed their families. A study by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy has already shown that maintaining the sugar tax at the current level will cost the country 6 198 permanent jobs and 9 786 seasonal jobs; the country simply cannot afford an increase in the tax.

The second phase of the Masterplan must include further exploration of the options available to diversify the sector. This could include using sugar for fuel, ensuring the long-term viability of sugarcane growers and the rural economies they support in an increasingly green global economy. Previous research indicated that South Africa could produce as much as 433 million litres of Sustainable Aviation Fuels by diverting just 50% of the 19 million tons of sugarcane we produce. We cannot leave this potential untapped as the world clamours for sustainable energy sources.

Finally, the Masterplan must also build on the excellent achievements in relation to transformation over the past five years. The industry recently concluded its investment of R1 billion into transformation. This effort must continue in a sustainable and fruitful manner. For its part, SA Canegrowers is committed to ensuring that the sugar industry continues to be a contributor to inclusive rural economies.

The meeting with the Ministers will take place in Mount Edgecombe, KwaZulu Natal. It will be followed by an open session to be attended by growers and other stakeholders to enable contributions from our members and others who will be among those most affected by the successes and failures of the Masterplan.

SA Canegrowers is confident that, working together, the Masterplan partners can save the local industry and protect the livelihoods it supports. We therefore look forward to a fruitful engagement with the Ministers Patel and Didiza.

Andrew Russell, Chairperson at SA Canegrowers

Seamless international money transfers

Insights for agricultural importers and exporters when it comes to

Agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to the South African economy, accounting for just under 3% of GDP and adding approximately R118 billion to the fiscus in 2023. And while we tend to think of the sector’s imports and exports as primarily being agricultural produce, there’s more to it than that.

For example, much of the equipment that farmers rely on is imported. And even if it’s manufactured or assembled locally, it’ll likely contain imported components. Other crucial parts of the value chain depend heavily on imports, too. In 2022, for example, South Africa imported US$847 million worth of nitrogenous fertilisers. Then there are things like feed ingredients and veterinary supplements, while software and electronics also play an increasingly important role..

As anyone involved in the supply chain will tell you, these imports require international payments. It’s not just importers either. Agricultural exporters also have to pay for shipping and freight charges, international insurance, and legal and regulatory fees. For smaller players especially, these international payments can be a massive headache.

Banks bring issues

That’s especially true for those players who choose to go through their bank when making an international money transfer. While it’s understandable that a bank would be an agricultural importer or exporter’s first point of call for international payments, doing so comes with some serious pitfalls.

If a business hasn’t made an international payment before, it will quickly realise how much of a headache it is the moment that it tries. Navigating the forex section of a bank’s online presence can be tedious and confusing (as can the onboarding process, once the company gets there).

Should the company representative need help with this process, that will inevitably mean calling the bank’s customer care centre. That means spending hours on hold, being pushed from pillar to post , and dealing with a lot of people who aren’t forex experts. That process would then be repeated any time there’s an issue with a payment.

Once a company is in a position to make international payments, meanwhile, they’ll have to deal with the bank’s fee structures. At most South African banks, these fees aren’t displayed transparently. That not only means that they don’t have certainty on how much each transaction will cost (something vital in business), but also that they can end up paying a lot more on transactions than anticipated.

Finding dedicated expertise

So, if banks aren’t a good option, then where should agricultural businesses turn when making international payments?

Ideally, businesses should look for an independent international money transfer provider, with an established international payment track record. That provider should automate as much of the payment process as possible, be transparent in its fees and pricing, and prioritise customer service.

Automated onboarding and other parts of the international payments process are important because it ensures that businesses can get up and running much quicker than they otherwise would. In today’s fast-paced business environment, it’s particularly important for businesses to save themselves time and stress wherever possible. Transparent pricing, meanwhile, not only gives businesses certainty, but it also means that they’ll likely pay less in fees than they would through their bank.

Prioritising customer service, meanwhile, doesn’t just mean hiring customer relations staff with friendly attitudes. The provider should offer dedicated Account Managers who are experts in international payments and have an in-depth understanding of the nuances of the business. They will also have the expertise to help with any query, including those around regulatory requirements from SARS and the Reserve Bank.

A worthwhile business change

In a market as prone to changes and fluctuations as the agricultural sector, businesses within need to find competitive advantages wherever they can. Given the relative weakness of the rand in comparison to other major currencies, international payments is one area where they can gain at least some competitive edge, particularly if they choose the right provider.

Harry Scherzer, CEO, Future Forex

Solving energy insecurity

Clean energy utility infrastructure is Western Cape agriculture company’s answer

Thanks to a new integrated energy solution, a major Western Cape agriculture company pays less for energy, is 30% off the Eskom grid and drastically reduced its carbon footprint thanks to the energy supply from renewable sources.

Blue Energy Africa, a South African-based, Africa-focused developer and operator of clean energy infrastructure, implemented an integrated energy solution for Smuts Brothers Agri in Robertson in the Western Cape, allowing their operations to go green.

Smuts Brothers Agri, a division of Lucerne Agri Investments, is an integrated agriculture company with various divisions, which ensure control of the value chain and driving sustainability. According to Juan-Ivan Smuts, CEO of Lucerne Agri, the company produces roughly 35 000 tons per year on its own farms and currently creates around 2 000 jobs on these farms and in its warehouses.

According to a 2023 report compiled by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) for the Western Cape Department of Agriculture on the impact of loadshedding on the Western Cape agricultural sector, 90% of producers in the Western Cape are dependent on Eskom as their primary, or only, source of electricity in 2022. However, some businesses have already started investing in alternatives.

Energy insecurity and the need for sustainable, clean energy alternatives creates an opportunity for Blue Energy Africa to develop and operate embedded clean energy utility infrastructure, such as the solution implemented for Smuts Brothers Agri.

This answer consists of three hybrid solar and battery energy storage solutions that will provide energy security and cost savings to operations. The primary solar battery installation comprises of 217 kWp of ground-mounted solar panels integrated with ~300 kWh battery storage to power the Smuts irrigation system.

The two adjacent farms received 70 kWp solar solutions with 70 kWh battery backup. Combined, the entire Smuts Brothers system will produce more than 370 MWh per year, reducing their emissions by more than 800 tons each year.

The key was the upgrade of the irrigation system to an energy-efficient pumping system that reduces pumping load and operational hours. This was achieved through the implementation of optimised filter banks, variable speed drives and energy-efficient pumps. The pump sizes were increased to enable the pumps to run when the sun shines, ensuring the cheapest, cleanest and most reliable supply, making the farms not only more profitable, but also kickstarting Smuts’ journey of transitioning to 100% renewable energy.

The resultant solution ensures the farms – Olyvendal, Klipboschlaagte stores and Klipboschlaagte dam pumphouse – are now paying less for energy and are free of energy interruptions during loadshedding. As a result, they can claim carbon offsets owing to the energy supply coming from renewable sources.

Says Marcel Steinberg, chief executive officer of Blue Energy, “By understanding our clients’ needs and sustainability goals, we can tailor funding and technical solutions to address their need for energy security and carbon mitigation. With over 6,2 million kWh saved and more than 16 000 tons of CO2 savings achieved over the project life cycle, this is a great first step towards a cleaner and more sustainable future for all.”

The project was funded by Gaia Fund Managers’ Renewables REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust), the first of its kind in Africa, listed on the Cape Town Stock Exchange.

Renier de Wit, managing director of Gaia, adds: “We believe sustainable agriculture is essential for addressing the interconnected challenges of climate change, food security and environmental degradation. Our strategy for sustainable agri-food systems reflects our unwavering commitment to driving positive change and creating a more resilient and equitable food system for the African continent for future generations. By embracing renewable energy, energy efficiency and water efficiency solutions, we can build a more sustainable future for agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Leveraging
digital platforms

Fast, hassle-free parts purchases for Mercedes-Benz Trucks and FUSO thanks to the introduction of the DT Parts Portal

Technology has ushered us into an era of unprecedented connectivity and innovation, changing the way we communicate, as well as how we interact. Importantly it has also changed the way customers conduct business. To remain relevant, it is imperative for companies to leverage digital platforms to streamline operations and enhance efficiency. This is exactly what Daimler Truck Southern Africa did with the launch of the Daimler Truck Parts Portal.

Daimler Truck Southern Africa (DTSA) was the first market within the Daimler Truck global landscape to launch the Daimler Truck Parts Portal. The portal was developed as a joint venture between DTSA and Daimler Truck Australia Pacific, of which the latter was the second market to launch. The parts portal aims to streamline the purchasing process of over four hundred Mercedes-Benz Trucks and FUSO Truck parts. Customers can now place an order from anywhere and collect the parts 24 hours later at their selected dealership. It can now take a customer as little as 5 minutes in the dealership to get their parts. The Daimler Truck Parts portal works like most other online purchasing websites or applications and is extremely easy to use and navigate, therefore no special training is required. It allows customers to search for parts either by part number, description or VIN number and indicates whether a part is in or out of stock, allowing customers to plan their routine services optimally.

While the Daimler Truck Parts portal was initially launched to selected dealerships in South Africa, plans are well underway to expand the offering nationally and increase the number of parts offered on the platform. Other enhancements to the parts portal are also on the cards and will be communicated in due course.

This is what Ziyad Gaba, Vice President: Customer Services, Parts and Value Chain had to say about the Daimler Truck Parts Portal: “The importance of digitization cannot be overstated. We are thrilled to be one of the first truck manufacturers in South Africa to offer parts sales online to increase customer convenience, save time and drive efficiency. We are already working on the second phase of this offering and look forward to sharing more information soon.”

Mahindra celebrates 20 years in SA with new Scorpio-N

Mahindra’s new Scorpio-N is a modern SUV with versatility that few can match.The vehicle is newly designed to compete with the best globally and to catch the eye of prospective buyers price-wise. It’s not just the prices that impress, but also the modern look and appealing design.

The Scorpio-N is a spacious and safe family vehicle that is tough under the skin, but lavishly equipped inside. The toughness comes in part from its ladder frame chassis and four-wheel drive system (on selected models), which make it a serious off-roader.

Inside, the Scorpio-N is extremely spacious and can accommodate up to seven occupants and a huge amount of luggage with the utmost ease.

Luxury is a given with all models comprehensively equipped with every comfort feature you can think of, including cruise control, an air-conditioned central storage compartment, a large and bright infotainment touchscreen, hill hold and hill descent control, an electronic stability program and, on the best-specified model, a front camera, leather seats and an audio system with 12 speakers from the audio specialists at SONY.

Returning to the topic of safety, the Mahindra Scorpio-N boasts world-class safety features, such as six airbags and a rigid crash-frame. Its design and standard features have earned it a 5-star crash-test rating from the Global New Car Assessment Programme, the first vehicle with a ladder frame chassis to achieve such a good performance.

But it is the vehicle’s road behaviour that will make drivers fall in love with it. Whether on a tarmac or dirt road, its multi-link suspension and ladder frame give it on-road stability at cruising speeds and good wheel travel and damping off the beaten track.

On 4x4-models, the 4XPLOR drivetrain allows the driver to switch from two- to four-wheel drive while on the go. The system offers pre-set options for different types of terrain, including mud, sand, snow and, of course, a full low-range option. Add to this a good ground clearance as well as favourable approach and departure angles and the Mahindra Scorpio-N can tackle any terrain with ease.

Under the hood, a new version of the well-known 2.2-litre mHawk engine does duty. In this variant, it produces 128.6 kW and 400 Nm of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission. This family of engines are well-known in the Mahindra stable with a proven track record for reliability, good fuel economy and sufficient power output.

Add to that, Mahindra’s 5-year/150 000 km warranty and a 5-year /110 000 km service plan and peace of mind is a given.

With all these qualities, it is no surprise that the Mahindra Scorpio-N is a finalist in the South African Car of the Year competition. Its selection as a finalist in the Adventure SUV category is a welcome gift to Mahindra South Africa, which is celebrating its 20th birthday in 2024.

Over these past 20 years, Mahindra South Africa has made a deep and lasting impact on the local market, selling over 90 000 vehicles, opening an assembly facility in Durban and investing in new training facilities and a large national parts warehouse.

For more information, visit mahindra.co.za.

Revaro: Empowering agriculture with state-of-the-art equipment

Step into the vibrant and bustling world of agriculture with Revaro as we eagerly prepare for the highly anticipated Nampo 2024, an event that serves as the pinnacle of South Africa’s agricultural calendar. In a landscape where innovation reigns supreme and the agricultural sector continually evolves, Revaro proudly stands as a steadfast pillar, embodying values of reliability, familiarity, and unwavering support for farmers across a broad spectrum of agricultural endeavours.

Get ready to be enthralled and impressed by our upcoming unveiling of an extensive range of equipment, meticulously engineered to empower farmers in the digital age, all while remaining firmly grounded in our core values of simplicity, ease of operation, and affordability.

At the heart of Revaro’s offerings lies a suite of powerhouse equipment, meticulously crafted to tackle the most challenging tasks on the farm with unparalleled efficiency and precision. From front-end loaders seamlessly handling heavy lifting to excavators displaying surgical precision in their operations, each machine is not merely a tool but a bespoke solution meticulously tailored to address the unique and diverse challenges encountered by farmers on a daily basis.

Navigate rugged terrains with grace and efficiency using our skid and track steers, versatile workhorses meticulously designed to maximize productivity and performance. Our comprehensive forklift range, which includes standard, all-terrain, and rough-terrain variants, streamlines material handling operations, ensuring seamless logistics and optimal uptime on the farm.

For tasks requiring the combined capabilities of a tractor, loader, and backhoe, look no further than Revaro’s TLBs. These multifunctional machines excel in a variety of roles, from trenching and land clearing to material loading, providing farmers with unmatched versatility and performance in the field.

In an era where uninterrupted power is essential, Revaro’s generators stand as unwavering guardians of continuity, offering reliable backup power whenever and wherever it’s needed most. Built to endure the rigors of agricultural operations, our generators ensure that the farm remains operational even during power outages or unforeseen emergencies.

Despite the rapid evolution of the agricultural landscape and the transformative impact of the digital revolution, Revaro remains steadfast in its commitment to simplicity, familiarity, and affordability. Our equipment transcends mere functionality; it embodies a trusted partnership—a dependable ally upon which farmers can rely on day in and day out.

Farming is more than just a business—it’s a way of life deeply rooted in South Africa’s rich heritage, a legacy passed down through generations. At Revaro, we strive not only to provide top-tier equipment but also to foster lasting emotional connections with our valued customers. Choosing Revaro means joining a community—a family united by a shared mission: to steward the land and sustainably feed the world.

As we eagerly prepare to showcase our latest innovations at Nampo 2024, Revaro stands poised at the forefront of agricultural excellence, ready to equip farmers with the tools they need to thrive in an ever-changing world. With our unwavering commitment to simplicity, reliability, and affordability, we’re not just selling equipment; we’re cultivating confidence, peace of mind, and the promise of a prosperous tomorrow for farmers across South Africa and beyond.

Invest in the future of farming

Why we need to invest in the future of farming

Agriculture in South Africa is growing. The primary agricultural sector has increased by an average of 7.5% per year since 2008, outpacing the total economy, which grew by 6.6% on average per year over the same period. Despite its relatively small share of the total GDP, primary agriculture is a significant provider of employment, and a major earner of foreign exchange. The estimated value of imports during 2022 increased by 17.2% from 2021, while the estimated value of exports showed an increase of 18.2% in the year. But the sector remains challenged by infrastructural weaknesses that result in loadshedding and poor road quality, the effects of climate change, animal epidemics, and the same macroeconomic factors that are affecting all industries in South Africa. The challenge, says, lies in anticipating and managing risks better, to keep premiums down while keeping livestock, crops, machinery, and other assets covered properly.

“Pay as you go” for farmers

Since King Price entered the agri sector in 2018, it has implemented future-forward thinking to benefit farmers, starting with an industry-first “pay as you farm” agri insurance product that offers farmers comprehensive cover for their agri vehicles all year round, linked to an annual rebate based on the time that the vehicles are actually used. “Pay as you farm”, which is offered in partnership with FarmSpace and Africa Farmers Network, is designed to help farmers save on their insurance premiums, lower their capital risk and maximise their profits.

Data is the future

While keeping their ears to the ground at farmers days, festivals, auctions, producers’ associations, and the like, to hear directly from farmers what they want and need, the insurer also works closely with actuaries to properly understand the available data in order to mitigate risk and determine best pricing.

At King Price, we have developed a motor rating tool specifically for our agri book, which looks at the real risks that farm vehicles are exposed to. We are the only insurer in the sector that has partnered with Map Scientific Services to help farmers benefit from data insights related to fires. In terms of livestock management, we have partnered with VeePlan – a network of 300 vets that inputs data on every sickness in an area – and we have also partnered with IDScan, which enables farmers to scan the unique nose-prints of their cattle via a phone app into a database to enhance the traceability of stolen livestock.

Managing climate change

Climate change is another area the insurer is looking at from field to farmhouse and, while their approach to mitigating risk in this area is heavily data-driven in order to model cover for the future, it also focuses strongly on education to mitigate risk right now. We are seeing more heavy and out-of-season storms, and more fires and floods. We engage with farmers on every aspect from lightning conductors and fire breaks, to installing surge protectors.

Looking forward

King Price also actively promotes the future of farming by supporting agricultural schools and colleges, and encouraging communities to do so as well. We believe in investing in the schools themselves. We focus on changing their bottom-line from deficit to profit, and their outlook from past practices to future potential. The facilities need to be functional so that the kids – the next generation of farmers – can learn how to optimise processes, resources and tech, and take farming forward.

In terms of trends, South Africa is the second-largest citrus exporter in the world, and says that the entire value-chain, from planting and harvesting to packing and processing, presents opportunities for insurers to better support the sector. South Africans are also among the world’s largest consumers of chicken – in 2020, this equated to 1.89 million tons. Better risk management in the poultry sector will go a long way to enabling scale and cost efficiency. And, as regulations around cannabis production ease up, the local market is expected to experience significant growth, thus providing massive opportunities for an agri insurer to both add value to the sector and grow its book.

The future of farming is tech. Just about every supplier in the agri sector has an app to help farmers optimise production. Tech is enabling smoother, faster processes and better practices, which all have the end benefit of freeing up cashflow and increasing profit margins. At King Price, we have embraced a tech-first approach to insuring agri risks, and we’re seeing that the younger generation of farmers is embracing the future of farming.

Kobus Stapelberg, partner in the agri division at King Price Insurance

What Growers Should Know about
Air-Assisted Electrostatic Sprayers

The term “Electrostatic Spraying” is often misunderstood. Two common mistakes are made in the assumption that “all electrostatic sprayers are the same” and are mistakenly referred to as “foggers”.

The important aspect of our technology is droplet size and mass, which led to the development of the Maxcharge™ nozzle 28 years ago, at the University of Georgia, in Atlanta, USA. The droplet size and efficacy of the dispersed electrostatically charged droplets, create a “wrap around” effect and cover the targeted object on all sides.

Data submitted by leading universities demonstrate that air-assisted Electrostatic Spraying Systems (ESS):

• • Dramatically reduces the application water required
  
• • Significantly reduces application waste and off-target drift
  
• • Effectively increases insect and disease control
  

How does it work?

Electrostatic attraction is what causes items of clothing to stick to each other after being tumbled in a clothes dryer. The same natural force is utilized by ESS electrostatic sprayer systems. The heart of ESS air-assisted electrostatic sprayers is the patented MaxCharge™ nozzle, together with a spray dispersion through pressurized air, which produces spray droplets that are 900 times smaller than those produced by conventional sprayers.

As the spray is atomized, the droplets pass an electrode in the patented MaxCharge™ nozzle, which induces a negative charge on each spray droplet. The lightweight, negatively charged droplets are dispersed from the nozzle and carried deep into the plant canopy in a turbulent air-stream.

The negatively charged 30 to 60 micron droplets are repelled from one another and naturally attracted to the plant material, resulting in a uniform fine powder coat coverage. This provides measurably more than twice the deposition efficiency when compared to conventional non-electrostatic alternatives.

Droplets literally change direction and move upwards against gravity to coat the plant surface.

Although the technology is advanced, ESS air-assisted MaxCharge™ nozzles and sprayers are hardy and easy to maintain.

Benefits

• • reduces the risk of drift, runoff and ground wastage
  

The way in which the spray coats the underside of the leaves and backsides of stems is known as electrostatic “wraparound”. The electrostatic charge is 75 times stronger than gravity, allowing the spray droplets to uniformly disperse and cling to plant surface, rather than blown past the target, or accumulating into larger pools. The even dispersion avoids run off and chemical hot spots, to eliminate the risk of leaf and fruit burn from longer term chemical residue concentrations.

• • requires minimal water due to low-volume air-assisted spraying
  

Low-Volume air-assisted spraying technology requires 8 to 12 times less water carrier than conventional spraying methods. Growers are able to reduce standard 1,000 litres per hectare applications by conventional methods to an average 100 litres per hectare using ESS technology.

• • increases efficiency of softer, environmentally safer applications
  

The ability to provide comprehensive dispersion and coverage of targeted crop significantly improves the performance of controls applied. The increased residual effect can extend the half-life of controls and reduce frequency of spray applications.

• • reduces costs through operational efficiencies of hectarage cover per application
  

Low-Volume air-assisted spraying technology reduces the need and regularity of stoppage times per tank fill, increasing efficiencies of the number of hectares covered per spray day.

The benefits to the crop in quality terms and with improved dispersion of applications to efficiently manage insect and disease control, together reduced water requirements, spraying time, equipment wear and tear, add up to a lean payback period.

Where can I find it?

Electrostatic Spraying Systems Inc. commercialized the technology with the Maxcharge™ patented nozzle, 28 years ago. The manufacturing facility is based in Georgia, USA., where all manner of sprayers from compact handheld mobile backpack sprayers to industrial scale row crop sprayers are built. Apart from supplying their own domestic market, ESS Inc., have international distribution and a presence in South America, Europe, Middle East, Far East, Asia and Africa.

I & M Smith (Pty) Ltd, have been operating in Africa for over 100 years, specialising in the agricultural sector. The company represents ESS Inc., in Africa and has built steadfast relations with their ESS clients. I & M Smith (Pty) Ltd., have trained technicians on standby, ready to assist with new sprayer commissioning, onsite operational staff training and comprehensive after sales service and spares support.

For more information, including technical reports, studies, trials, as well as online brochures, visit www.iandmsmith.com click on the tab header Electrostatic Sprayers, or contact one of their technicians by calling South Africa, +27 82 317 7928.

Rebuilding Africa’s food economy with a focus on sustainability

Future-proofing Africa’s food supply requires greener production methods and the avoidance of food waste in order to meet the expected future demand for nutrition in a sustainable way

Africa, along with the rest of the world, is facing a food crisis. Food shortages, caused by supply chain disruptions emanating from various events across the world, such as the COVID 19 pandemic and Ukraine-Russia conflict, have amplified long-term challenges to the sustainability of global food production, including: population growth, climate change, and increased reliance on resource-intensive farming.

Over time, facts and figures have increasingly highlighted this crisis, which calls for an urgent change in global food production and distribution. PwC’s Megatrends research underscores the long-term impact of climate change and demographic shifts on global food security, as well as the resultant cost of living, poverty and social (in)stability associated with it.

Andrew Dale, PwC Africa Assurance Partner, says: “Today, the world needs to treat food security and affordability as critical issues for global prosperity and wellbeing. Just as agriculture was a key building block in the post-Second World War era of reconstruction, our food economy needs to be rebuilt again – but this time, it needs to be done sustainably.”

Fortunately, positive change is happening across the food production value chain. Sustainability concerns are increasingly being understood and recognised across the continent, with food producers and their partners beginning to look at new sustainable agricultural practices. We are also seeing a shift with regulators beginning to shape new requirements, and consumers calling for change.

Our report, The sustainable food revolution: Future-proofing the world’s food supply, considers several levers that the food industry can pull to meet the expected future demand for nutrition in a sustainable way without significantly increasing food prices. These include 1) the avoidance of food losses in the supply chain, 2) cleaner/greener methods of food production, and 3) food substitutions at consumption level.

In our recently released Africa-focussed blog, we take a closer look at five points associated with the first two categories: the avoidance of food losses and greener production methods.

1. 1. Organic farming: Moving towards more diverse and less intensive forms of food production comes with profit potential. A recent academic study on the performance of 55 crops grown on five continents showed that, despite higher labour costs and lower yields, organic farming is up to 35% more profitable than conventional high-intensity farming due to the premium price organic products command.
   
2. 2. Agricultural Technology (AgTech) and precision agriculture: Agricultural production will increasingly be supported by technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, allowing farmers a more focused and precise application of inputs such as water, light, fertiliser, pesticides and other soil treatments. These inputs increase productivity and, if used correctly, will reduce the environmental footprint. AgTech, like imagery tools and AI, also provide farm monitoring and pest management solutions, helping farmers see above their crops and below the ground where the naked eye cannot.
   
3. 3. Reducing food losses: While there are multiple causes of food loss in production and waste in retail and consumption, the chief causes lie within the distribution and retail process.
   
4. 4. Nqaba Ndiweni, PwC Africa Consumer Industrial Products & Services Leader, says: “To fix this, supply chains need to become more transparent as societies are increasingly demanding reliable information on where their food comes from. Consumers also want to know about the ethical and sustainable practices of food producers, which influences the trust that producers build with their consumers. Without trust, industry players may struggle to build a solid reputation in the market, along with a loyal and sustained customer base.”
   
5. 5. Regulatory change: Regulation and standard setting will alter the structure and cost base of food production. This is already happening: sustainability reporting cutting across the entire food supply chain is seen as increasingly important by consumers and investors; animal welfare standards will become a more significant driver of consumer choices; and the use of water and fertilisers will also become a more important metric of corporate sustainability performance.
   
6. 6. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements: The intensification of environmental regulation will impact food companies directly in at least two ways:
   

Mandated reporting on ESG performance will become an increasingly important factor in investor allocations, lowering the cost of capital for ESG-compliant businesses.

The emergence of hard targets for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions by 2050 (or earlier) will increase the cost of carbon intensive agriculture.

The current crisis is so profound that change is inevitable. This leaves food industry stakeholders with a choice to make: change now on their own initiative, or simply wait until they have to react to external pressures.

Lullu Krugel, PwC Africa Sustainability Leader, says: “The food industry needs to optimise across a complex landscape covering procurement, production, storage, transportation, and consumption, as well as shifting expectations on environmental and social justice. Now is a crucial time for every stakeholder to think about their role in this cycle of change, and how they can maximise on the impact of these changes on their business and wider societies.”

PWC

Damsak® Reservoirs: Safeguarding South Africa’s farming industry amidst the water crisis

South Africa has been grappling with a severe water crisis in recent years, affecting all facets of life, including businesses and industries. Among those significantly impacted is the farming and agriculture sector, which heavily relies on a stable water supply for survival. As the challenges of water scarcity persist, innovative solutions like Damsak® Reservoirs are emerging as game-changers for stakeholders in the agriculture industry, offering a lifeline for sustainability and growth.

The water crisis in South Africa

The water crisis in South Africa has been driven by a combination of factors, including prolonged droughts, changing weather patterns, electricity shortages affecting the continuous flow of water, and increasing demand due to population growth and economic activities. These factors have put immense pressure on existing water resources, leaving farmers struggling to secure an adequate and reliable water supply for their crops and livestock.

Impact on the farming industry

The farming industry has endured the brunt of the water crisis, facing challenges that threaten livelihoods and food security.

Insufficient water supply leads to reduced crop yields, reduced quality of produce, and increased stress on livestock, leading to rising production costs and decreased profitability for farmers. Additionally, water restrictions and uncertainties have made long-term planning and investment in agriculture a risky proposition.

Damsak® Reservoirs: A solution for sustainable agriculture

Amidst the water crisis, Damsak® Reservoirs can offer hope to farmers and agricultural businesses in South Africa. Their innovative water storage solutions provide a range of features that set them apart from competitors, making them the ideal choice for the agriculture industry.

Easy Installation and Maintenance: Damsak® Reservoirs boast user-friendly installation and low maintenance, minimising downtime, and operational disruptions for farmers.

Super easy to transport: Damsak® Reservoirs can be folded when not in use, making it convenient to transport and deploy on the back of a bakkie. This provides farmers with a hassle-free solution for rapid deployment without compromising on quality.

Durable and UV-Protected: Damsak® Reservoirs are built to withstand harsh weather conditions, ensuring long-lasting durability even in the sunniest and most challenging environments. Their UV protection prevents degradation, keeping it safe and clean for multi-purpose uses.

Reliability: Damsak® Reservoirs are engineered to deliver a consistent and reliable water supply. By storing water during periods of plenty, farmers can ensure a steady supply during droughts, mitigating the impact of water shortages on their crops and livestock.

Scalability: Whether it’s a small family-owned farm or a large-scale agricultural enterprise, Damsak® Reservoirs offer scalable solutions to suit diverse needs. Farmers can choose from various sizes to match their specific water storage requirements.

Environmentally Friendly: By promoting water conservation and sustainable water usage, Damsak® Reservoirs contribute to preserving South Africa’s delicate ecosystems and reducing the industry’s overall water footprint.

Embracing a sustainable future

In the face of the ongoing water crisis, investing in a Damsak® water storage bladder is not just a practical decision for the farming industry; it’s a commitment to a sustainable future. By securing a reliable water supply, farmers can strengthen their resilience against the uncertainties of climate change and protect their livelihoods for generations to come.

By adopting Damsak®’s water storage solutions, stakeholders in the farming industry can take a significant step towards sustainability, ensuring the growth and prosperity of agriculture in South Africa despite the challenges posed by water scarcity.

Damsak® Reservoirs is a registered South African product, first designed and manufactured in 2007. We commit to a 10-year guarantee on workmanship, if used in the recommended conditions. Our water storage solution is compact and easy-to-transport, providing an adequate and reliable solution for water storage in the farming, agricultural, manufacturing, and commercial industries.

Water stress is the new normal

Take control of your water security

South Africa is a water scarce country, the 30th driest in the world. Half of our country’s river flow is provided by only 10% of its land. Most of the mountain catchment regions that feed our major rivers, are not protected. Yet they are critical for food production and the sustenance of life downstream.

We’re all too familiar with dams, reservoirs and rivers running dry. Groundwater levels fluctuate alarmingly, or even ‘disappear’. Constant water supply is no longer guaranteed, or has become unreliable. In many areas, rainfall has decreased. Less rain not only directly impacts dams and surface water, but also has a dire effect on the recharging of groundwater levels. Rising temperatures are causing increased evaporation. Drought and climate change hold serious implications for long-term water security and pose a huge threat to food security.

Clearly then, water is without a doubt the most precious commodity in South Africa.

The agricultural sector is particularly exposed to water risks. That’s why our resourceful farmers have a solid reputation for being so remarkably adaptable - constantly innovating to produce more with less… most especially when it comes to the availability of fresh water.

One obvious adaptive response to immediately providing their own water security, is to install bulk water storage tanks.

Rainbow Reservoirs, established in 2003, is a South African manufacturer of premium water storage tanks in use in 29 countries worldwide. Because we KNOW about the challenges of water storage in South Africa, we’ve also responded decisively to the increased requirement by farmers for agri-water. That’s why we’ve developed a range of water storage tanks that have been specifically adapted not only to the needs of our farmers, but also to withstand the harshest, most-demanding environments.

By coupling latest advancements with innovative design and corrosion-resistant Aluzinc steel, we’ve come up with a 21st century solution for affordable water storage tanks that you can rely on… The Oasis Water Tanks Range.

We’ve even stuck to the tried and tested corrugated-iron profile that for decades has defined iconic farm-tanks on our agricultural landscape. At Oasis Tanks we’ve taken this legendary, life-sustaining landmark to the next level in corrugated water storage tank technology.

Oasis tanks are manufactured from AZ150 ALUZINC STEEL, NOT hot-dip galvanized steel - there’s a difference! Aluzinc is the material of choice when extended life-span and durability are essential requirements. Aluzinc steel coatings out-perform galvanized coatings by 3-7 times.

Quick and easy to install (visit www.oasistanks.co.za), Oasis Tanks offers over 100 tank models in various height/diameter configurations (and colours!) to suite your needs.

Benefits of an Oasis tank

• • 500 litres to over 1 million litres
  
• • 700gsm reinforced PVC liner
  
• • Colour options
  
• • Low to no maintenance
  
• • 10-year warranty
  
• • 40-year life-span
  
• • Rapid installation
  
• • Easy transportation in pre-manufactured flatpack/kit form
  
• • Easy capacity enhancement when required
  
• • Easy to dismantle and relocate
  
• • NO CONCRETE BASE REQUIRED for low profile tanks up to 250,000l
  

Included:

• • External, galvanized steel ladder
  
• • Lockable manhole/inspection hatch
  
• • Aluzinc domed roof
  
• • Dust / vermin proofing
  

Accessory options:

• • Scour / flush drain
  
• • Water level gauge
  
• • Optional flange sizes: inlet, outlet, overflow
  
• • Turbine ventilator
  
• • And many more… according to your express requirements.
  

Oasis tanks offer a cost-effective, no-regrets water security solution. And they’re built tough to withstand Africa’s toughest conditions

Contact us: sales@oasistanks.co.za; www.oasistanks.co.za; 011 965 6016 ; 082 550 7559

Concluding the deal

Aucor Property gives farmers best chance of a sale

Aucor Property has a stellar track record in the commercial property auction space and have identified a gap in their business to continue their upward trajectory in sales with the launch of a dedicated Agricultural arm. The sole focus in this division will be the disposal of farms. The company recognises that South Africa’s agricultural landscape is an extremely specialised area that requires an extraordinary depth of knowledge of both land values and the business of farming to ensure the successful sales.

Francois Pawson has come onboard as Business Development Manager of the agricultural business unit. Pawson joins with 20 years’ experience across the agricultural industry. He started his career as a farmer and having found success in a tough industry, he established himself as a management consultant, working with farmers who were struggling to navigate challenging economic and operational environments. Understanding the challenges farmers faced in selling farms he moved into the real estate sector to aid them with the sale of their businesses. Pawson therefore brings a holistic understanding of the sector to Aucor Property.

Pawson describes how our farming industry is more diverse than any other country in the Sub-Saharan region. Our unique climate varies from dry and arid in the Karoo, to Mediterranean in the west and sub-tropical on the east coast. We experience winter rain in the Western and Eastern Cape and summer rainfalls inland, meaning we have the opportunity to yield all major grains, oilseeds, deciduous and tropical fruits, sugar, citrus, nuts, wine, flowers and most vegetables.

Farming and the real estate sector for 2024

Pawson estimates that there are roughly 32 000 farmers contributing to the economy, varying from commercial to subsistence farming. According to Agri SA, the current average age of a farmer in South Africa is sixty-two. This is alarming for the future as there is a low succession rate to continue previous family farming legacies.

The number of farm units sold in South Africa remained stable at roughly 4200 in 2023 compared to around 3900 farm units sold in 2022. This stability can be attributed to increased demand for farms bigger than 600ha due to the impact of good summer rains on production, according to Johann Bornman, chairperson of Agri Development Solutions. The weakening Rand has been positive for exports but is also dependent on the national harbours providing an adequate logistics solution. Finally, a huge positive is the new entrants to the Agri sector due to some successful skills development programs.

Benefit of auction for the agri sector

The greatest benefit to sellers is that they are able to dispose of their farms via auction in 6-8 weeks. Having a set date for auction also creates a sense of urgency for serious buyers. Over and above this, Aucor Property implement aggressive marketing campaigns and rely on a database of over 45 000 subscribers to bring buyers to the auction. Conclusion of deals are more likely as the conditions of auction eliminate back and forth negotiations that could result in no deal as is often the case with traditional real estate listings.

For the buyers, the value of the entity will be thoroughly assessed before being placed on auction. This provides clarity, with full disclosure being given regarding factors like water rights, land claims and labour force. A level of certainty also comes into play as it becomes clear to the buyer that the seller is serious and not simply “testing the market”.

Contact Francois at francois@aucor.com to get a full understanding of the auction process and to discuss the sale of your farm.

Down
and dirty

Engen does what it takes to get the job done

Ninety percent of my role requires me getting down and dirty…This is not a life for a suit and tie sort of man but for a businessman willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.” So says the owner of a medium-sized manufacturing business and an Engen client when asked how he manages in such a tough environment.

Manufacturing, Farming, Logistics & Transport, and Mining are dubbed the “Down & Dirty Sectors”, where you pace yourself constantly against cycle time, lead time, downtime, overtime, and time to market. Where you sweat the resources, optimise efficiencies, minimise variability, and go and go and go. And heaven forbid if something stops.

MD of a medium-sized logistics business and an Engen client adds, “It’s constant. I mean, it’s always constant work, and you’re always thinking about work. What do we need to do to improve, to change or to evolve? That’s on my mind.”

These are industries that define hard work for hard workers. And these tough conditions require tough products and service delivery to measure up to partnership.

What they’re all looking for are high-performance products; high-performance fuels, highquality lubricants, and chemicals that make the grade in every way.

That’s why Engen is the partner of choice for the toughest industries. That, and our extensive strategic depot and services footprint across the continent, allows access and responsiveness when and where it matters most for your business. Add in additional services such as asset condition monitoring and asset performance management, and it’s clear that Engen delivers the whole package for business performance for those sectors where stillness is the enemy.

As an Agriculture business, you’re choosing a partner that understands that there are good times and tough times, and regardless, Engen’s commitment to your business needs means we have your back all the time. You’re choosing a path to unlocking your business growth, strengthening community bonds, and ensuring operational continuity through sustainability.

And mostly, you’re choosing a partner with over a century-long legacy that proves that – just like you – we’re in it for the long game. With Engen, what matters to you matters to us. We deliver security of supply, minimising downtime through our partnership approach and seamless operations. Through a lens of amortisation, our performance fuels and quality lubricants sustain the value of your expensive farming equipment, making sure they last longer while our agricultural chemicals and polymers play a vital role in nurturing crop farming yield.

Engen fuels, quality lubricants products and services attract customers from a wide base that includes many large-scale farms, as well as long-established relationships with co-ops and resellers for your convenience. Engen has been a corporate member of the Agriculture Business Chamber (Agbiz) since 2009. Our dedicated team of seasoned professionals support the Agricultural sector by helping to increase productivity and reduce operational costs.

Everything is in motion, because it must be, or everything stops. This is as true in mining, agriculture, and transport as it has ever been; as to be still is the enemy of progress. Engen understands this fundamental truth, and it is with this in mind that we create our products and go to work on our services every day.

The procurement head of a large manufacturing company and an Engen client puts it like this: “The guy from [Engen] is good. He is very, very good with relationship management. He is your one-stop-shop kind of guy. You just send them a message, give him a call, send him an email, and he just gets it done. He is an exceptional, exceptional individual. Over the years, he has been on the top end of customer focus and also knows our business. I don’t have any complaints.”

It’s for her, and for all our other clients, throughout South Africa, all of whom keep our country, and our economy going every day… that we at Engen are Always Moving. Because You’re Always Moving, at Engen, We’re Always Moving.

The state of the art

Meet the winemaker behind the Pongrácz brand

One of the perennial favourites at the annual Johannesburg Cap Classique, Champagne & Bubbles Festival (taking place this year on May 18 and 19 at the Inanda Polo Club in Sandton) is Pongrácz, an award-winning, iconic South African bubbly first released in 1990, in memory of Desiderius Pongrácz, a Hungarian aristocrat who, after 10 years as a war prisoner in Siberia, first returned to Hungary and then fled the country during the Hungarian revolt, first settling in Namibia before finding his final home in the South African Winelands.

Pongrácz had a significant impact on the introduction of international grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir and is credited as one of the leading heads that helped to turn South African wines into the quality product they are today. He also lobbied the careful selection of the best vines in the vineyard as opposed to quantity harvesting. Tragically, he died in a road accident at the age of 61 but his memory lives on in the Cap Classiques made in his honour.

But what of the winemaker behind the Pongrácz brand today?

Meet Matthys Botes, Worcester-born and bred and now living in Brackenfell with his wife Anel, whom he met at university, and their two children.

Ahead of this year’s Johannesburg Cap Classique, Champagne & Bubbles Festival which Botes took the time to answer a few questions.

Tell us about your journey to becoming a winemaker?

Growing up I spent many hours with my cousins in the vineyards of Rawsonville where my grandfather was a farm manager. I became fascinated with winemaking and viticulture, especially during the busy harvest time and although I had set my sights on becoming a paediatrician, the vines called out, so I studied Oenology and Viticulture at the University of Stellenbosch. After graduation I worked a few harvests at several Australian wine farms and returned to South Africa to complete my Master’s degree. I joined Distell (now Heineken Beverages) in 2001 in the research and development department as an experimental winemaker delving into the many different facets of wine, spirits and RTDs (ready-to-drink alcohol products sometimes referred to as alcopops). In 2007 I had the opportunity to intern at the family-run Spottswoode winery in California, specialising in small scale ultra-premium wines and environmentally friendly winemaking practices. I eoine the Pongrácz team in 2019 as winemaker for their range of Cap Classiques.

Can you tell us about the five Pongrácz Cap Classiques that will be available for tasting and buying at the show?

First off, our popular Pongrácz Brut which is a timeless Cap Classique with great elegance and complexity. Crisp green apple notes and nuttiness of freshly baked bread are prevalent on the nose. On the palate, delicate yeasty tones, layered with toast and ripe fruit are enlivened by a firm mousse and persistent bead that make it particularly attractive. It imparts a wonderful foamy mouthful of blackberry fruit flavours with a long lingering aftertaste.

Then we have our equally popular Pongrácz Rosé, which delights the palate as much as the eye and evokes an air of romance with its delicate salmon pink hue. Delicate strawberry tones are layered with whiffs of baked bread. On the palate it is perfectly balanced with clean acidity and juicy blackberry fruit.

For those who like their bubbly a little sweeter, we have the Pongrácz Noble Nectar which is presented in a beautifully shaped purple-hued bottle. On the palate the velvety, creamy butter and citrus notes blend seamlessly with delicate bubbles, light yeasty aromas, crisp, juicy pears, and litchi.

The Pongrácz Nectar Rosé delights and evokes an air of romance with its delicate cherry blossom hue. Great complexity on the palate with lower alcohol and enhanced sweetness, strawberry and red berries, layered with nuances of spicy aromas and yeasty undertones. The firm mousse and persistent bead reveal wonderful red berry and spicy flavours, rounded off with a light yet lingering aftertaste.

And finally, our showstopper is the Desiderius, which comes handcrafted in a uniquely styled fluted bottle that epitomises elegance, quality and nobility. This magnificent Cap Classique encapsulates grace and exceptional character.

Which is your favourite and why?

Desiderius is my favourite, as the complex, rich, nutty, and yeasty aromas remind me of my grandmother’s kitchen where I spent many a day as a young boy helping her with her baking.

What do you like to do to relax when you’re away from the vineyards?

I love to spend time with the family and enjoy the outdoors and nature. I am fascinated by history books, movies and music, and never far away from appreciating good wine, great food and the company of friends.

Maximising efficiency and savings

The case for used and refurbished forklifts in farming

In the dynamic world of farming, efficiency and cost-effectiveness is paramount. Every investment must yield tangible benefits, and every decision must contribute to the sustainability and profitability of the operation. Among the many tools and equipment crucial to farming success, forklifts stand out as indispensable assets. Whether for handling produce, loading materials, or facilitating various tasks around the farm, forklifts play a pivotal role. However, acquiring these machines can be a significant financial commitment. Here, we explore the advantages of opting for used or refurbished forklifts, both in terms of renting and purchasing, offering the farming community valuable insights into maximising efficiency and savings.

Firstly, let’s consider the financial aspect. Acquiring brand new forklifts entails substantial upfront costs, often stretching beyond the

budgetary constraints of many farming operations. In contrast, opting for used or refurbished forklifts presents a more financially viable alternative. By purchasing or renting these pre-owned machines, farmers can significantly reduce their initial investment, freeing up capital for other essential expenses or investments in farm expansion and modernisation.

Moreover, used and refurbished forklifts offer excellent value for money. While they may have been previously owned or operated, these machines undergo rigorous inspection, refurbishment, and maintenance processes to meet quality standards. As a result, farmers can obtain reliable equipment at a fraction of the cost of new ones. In essence, they can enjoy the benefits of cutting-edge technology and performance without bearing the full burden of new equipment prices.

Another compelling advantage of opting for used or refurbished forklifts is flexibility. In the dynamic landscape of farming, operational needs can fluctuate seasonally or due to specific projects. Renting pre-owned forklifts provides farmers with the flexibility to scale their equipment fleet according to demand. Whether it’s a short term need during harvest season or a specific project requiring additional lifting capacity, renting offers a cost-effective solution without the long-term commitment of ownership.

Furthermore, used and refurbished forklifts contribute to sustainability efforts within the farming community. By extending the lifespan of these machines through refurbishment and reuse, farmers actively participate in reducing environmental impact. Rather than contributing to the manufacturing demand of new equipment, choosing pre-owned forklifts aligns with eco-conscious practices, promoting resource efficiency and waste reduction.

Beyond financial and environmental considerations, there are practical benefits to be gained from opting for used or refurbished forklifts. These machines come with the advantage of proven reliability and performance in real-world pack house conditions. Unlike brand-new equipment that may require a period of testing and adjustment, used forklift have a track record of operational efficiency, ensuring that they can seamlessly integrate into any workflows from day one.

In conclusion, the farming community stands to gain significantly from embracing used and refurbished forklifts, whether through renting or purchasing. By doing so, farmers can unlock substantial cost savings, enhance operational flexibility, and contribute to sustainable practices within the industry. With assurance of quality, reliability, and performance, pre-owned forklifts offer a compelling proposition for farmers seeking to maximise efficiency and savings in their operations.

Learn more about Jungheinrich: www.jungheinrich.co.za or contact the company directly to view available used and refurbished forklifts
+27 10 596 8460