Business

Boets Nel, co-owner of De Krans Wines near Calitzdorp, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about how his business survived the drought, coped with COVID-19 trade restrictions, and adapted to a changing market.

Lesedi la Kreste Anglican Primary School in Gauteng has incorporated aquaponics into its curriculum and feeding scheme for over a decade. Susan Marais visited the school to find out more about the project.

Natie Ferreira, director of a new cannabis research centre at the Agricultural Research Council’s Bien Donné site near Paarl, was recently issued with a permit to cultivate 8ha of hemp for the purposes of study and development. He and researcher Moses Mlangeni spoke to Marinda Louw Coetzee about the planned research at the centre, and how it will help to boost the commercial cultivation of hemp in South Africa.

Offshore investing is no longer a luxury reserved for a few. It is a realistic, easily accessible and important financial planning option for all serious investors seeking to protect and grow their wealth. Jean Minnaar, managing director of Old Mutual Wealth Private Client Securities, explains how to take maximum advantage of offshore investing.

Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region, in partnership with the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship South Africa, recently announced the winners of the Nestlé Needs YOUth Agri Competition, who all received incredible prizes.

Citrus is a major exportable commodity for Morocco, and that country’s government has aimed various initiatives at improving its production of this fruit.

After the successful approval of the merger between Senwes and the Suidwes Group in 2020, Senwes is currently in the final year of three years emanating from the merger.

Dilapidated country roads are a direct threat to South Africa’s agricultural and rural economies, yet farmers and communities have largely encountered a wall of indifference from government. In an attempt to be heard, Agri SA and its affiliates conducted a countrywide survey amongst 311 primary production units, many of which expressed frustration over the authorities’ lack of action.

Toverveld Biltong was started by Madie van Zyl some 14 years ago as a way of earning additional income. Annelie Coleman visited her on her family farm, De Dam, near Colesberg to learn more about her enterprise, and discovered why demand for Toverveld’s biltong and other meat products has grown … and grown.

Egypt has become a global powerhouse in terms of orange production and exports, and its government is aiming to improve production even further.

Despite South Africa’s economy and infrastructure being under severe stress, global agtech company Syngenta is investing in the country’s seed market. Gaël Hili, Syngenta’s regional director for Europe, Africa and Middle East Seeds, spoke to Susan Marais about the potential that South African agriculture holds.

The Agricultural Writers SA Farmer of the Year for 2021, Jan le Roux, has earned himself a reputation among his staff as a perfectionist and a stickler for detail. At the same time, he believes in giving as much responsibility as possible to his 6 000 workers in order to promote empowerment. Lindi Botha visited the Le Roux Group’s operation in the Western Cape to learn more about Le Roux’s methods for developing an efficient workforce.