Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly in Bredasdrop, Western Cape, Tobias Doyer, CEO of Grain SA, said the event provided an important opportunity for agricultural leaders to tackle industry challenges and build the relationships needed to find solutions.
“It’s a great time to sit down with agricultural leaders and find solutions in a more relaxed atmosphere. The numbers for wheat are not working, while maize prices are under immense pressure because of global oversupply. We need solutions, and this is the time to sit together and build the networks that can take things forward,” he said.
Rain during Nampo Cape had also provided a welcome boost for grain farmers in the region. Doyer said it was the kind of rain that could turn a good harvest into a great one, although low commodity prices meant farmers needed an exceptional crop to pull through financially.
“The Overberg is looking good, but the Swartland is under severe pressure,” he added.
Visitor numbers remained strong, with 11 080 people passing through the gates on Thursday, the second day of Nampo Cape.
Among the major discussions during the event, agriculture minister Willie Aucamp acknowledged shortcomings in previous government support for emerging farmers, including unsuccessful agri-hubs and weaknesses in agricultural financing. He called for government-leased land to be transferred to qualifying farmers, giving them the security needed to access finance and invest in their businesses.
Aucamp also said future Land Bank funding needed rigorous due diligence to prevent a repeat of the bank’s 2020 default, while acknowledging that its lending processes had since improved.
Water security, technology and the economics of food production came under the spotlight during the sustainable vegetable farming seminar.
Dr Jack Bloom, deputy minister of Water and Sanitation, warned that municipal water losses and pollution threatened South Africa’s water security, with serious consequences for agricultural production and food security. He also outlined measures being taken by the department to address these problems.
Dawie Roodt, chief economist at the Efficient Group, said technology increasingly needed to be viewed as a capital investment. Economies of scale and greater adoption of technology would, he argued, become increasingly important in keeping farms productive and financially viable.
Away from the seminar rooms, Friday delivered its share of entertainment. A feisty flock of Merinos gave the sheepdogs a particularly difficult time in the ring, even knocking 12-week-old kelpie puppy Basil off her feet. The action later shifted to the holding pen when the next group of Merinos repeatedly escaped.
Farmer’s Weekly also visited livestock breeders’ societies with Dr Karla Olivier, Farmer’s Weekly’s resident veterinarian for the day. Olivier later fielded animal health questions from visitors at the publication’s stand.
Representatives of the Dohne Merino and Santa Gertrudis breeders’ societies also shared insights into livestock health management, vaccination programmes and effective quarantine protocols.
