Business

The innovative Naute Kristall Distillery is situated near Keetmanshoop in Namibia’s arid southern region. Established by Michael and Katrin Weder, it has become renowned for its outstanding, prize-winning gin.

Armed with a degree and youthful vigour, many a graduate has faced the stark reality of being unable to secure a job despite their qualifications. Lindi Botha spoke to Jenny More, director of RecruitAgri, about why this scenario keeps playing out, and how to solve it.

We’re stronger together – how collaborating with the right partners can help the agrisector thrive.

Since 2000, the government has invested more than R74 million in the Blocuso community in the Northern Cape. Dirk Claassen, financial manager of the Blocuso company, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about how the community has managed these funds to establish and run a thriving wine grape and raisin farm.

Despite having diversified into mining, construction, civil contracting, and heavy equipment hire, the ALS Group remains at heart a family farming business characterised by attention to detail, professionalism and integrity. Magda du Toit recently visited some of the agricultural and other business ventures in which the award-winning ALS Group is involved, and filed this report.

Diversification enables farmers to spread risk and add additional income streams, but within the opportunities lie some hazards. Lindi Botha spoke to farmers who have successfully integrated their current operations through multicropping and other methods about how to tackle this juggling act without dropping the ball.

The Vine Academy and Model Farm were officially launched in May 2022 to improve the sustainability of raisin farmers. Ferdie Botha, CEO of Raisins SA, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about this development.

While rabbit production is relatively small in South Africa, there is great untapped export potential, should the industry meet its challenges head-on.

Local communities need to be part of the process of better understanding climate change adaptation. Moreover, supporting small green economies could assist in job creation for the community. An environmental project in Eldorado Park is seeking to do just this.

With so many variables in the farming landscape, diversification is a useful strategy to hedge one’s risk and ensure a steady cash flow. However, managing multiple divisions comes with its own challenges. Jan Grey, who farms in Mpumalanga’s Bethal region, spoke to Lindi Botha about his winning strategies.

The US offers many top choices for South African farmers seeking to emigrate. Florida and Texas are traditionally two of the most popular states that South Africans choose to relocate to, and both offer excellent agriculture opportunities.

Despite its recent financial troubles, Themba Rikhotso, CEO of the Land Bank, told Annelie Coleman the institution was on its way to recovery.