Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa

The case for preventive silo maintenance

In the latter half of the last century, hundreds of freestanding concrete silos were built across South Africa. In the decades that followed, some of the specialised expertise required to construct an.....

Grain storage options abound

Each year, as harvesters sweep across the fields and trucks queue at depots, the same question arises: Where will all this grain go? For decades, the answer was straightforward – into silos. Those tow.....

A challenging year for grain and oilseeds

It has been a turbulent year for South Africa’s grain and oilseeds industry, traders included. Misaligned crop estimates, local quality concerns, frustrations with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE.....

South Africa’s grain silo history: A journey of profound heights and depths

Grain storage has always been central to food security. From ancient methods designed to prevent spoilage to the massive silos that now dot South Africa’s landscape, the evolution of storage systems t.....

Grain handling: A story spanning 60 years

It was June 1960, and the maize was ready for harvest. Maize pickers were recruited from surrounding areas, reaching as far as the former homelands of Lebowa and KwaNdebele. Early each morning, while .....

Keep doing the right things

How do we navigate this new world, one where we’ve lost our homefield advantage and find ourselves increasingly marginalised in a growing culture of corruption? No one can deny that South Africa has s.....

Banning of certain pesticides being discussed

On 12 June this year it was announced that Cabinet had approved a ban on the importation and sale of the pesticide terbufos. This follows the tragic death of six children in Soweto last year, after th.....

South African good experimental practice

The publication of the new regulations relating to agricultural remedies  on 25 August 2023 saw the introduction of good experimental  practice  (GEP) in South Africa. For many companie.....

AI in grain production and handling: The now and beyond

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly turning the agricultural industry on its head and this is only the beginning, considering the potential of AI-based tools to increase efficiencies  and acc.....

Sacta levy boosts research and development

Just a few years ago, South Africa’s self-pollinating crops industry, encompassing soya beans, wheat, oats, barley, and lupins, was in steep decline. The development of new varieties had slowed, yield.....

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