Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa

Training and mentorship in the grain industry

Why do some grain businesses remain resilient decade after decade, while others struggle once a strong leader or senior employee steps aside? The answer is seldom technology or capital investment alon.....

South Africa’s changing labour laws: What they mean for agribusiness and grain storers

South Africa’s labour-law framework is being reshaped into different phases. For agribusiness, especially  grain handlers and storage operators, these changes are not just legal technicalities. T.....

Shaping the future of the grain storage industry

Today’s workplace is characterised by a pronounced generational divide, with employees from different age groups often struggling to understand one another. According to Francois Sieberhagen, executiv.....

Agbiz gears up for a year of unity

Cooperation will be the unifying key to unlocking success in the grain value chain in 2026. This message was conveyed loud and clear at the annual Agbiz Media Day, held at the Grain Building in Pretor.....

Growing people, not just grain: The new face of silo management in South Africa

Finding the right person to manage a silo in South Africa is no small task. The ideal candidate must possess the right technical qualifications, personality, leadership ability, and the desire to buil.....

How agriculture shapes careers and dreams

When I started my career at NWK in 2003 and thus entered the agricultural industry, I did not expect to fall in love with it. My professional roots were in manufacturing, consulting and training, whic.....

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.....

Factors shaping the state of South African agriculture

Factors shaping the state of South African agricultureVarious factors, both positive and negative, continue to shape South Africa’s agricultural sector. Starting on a positive note, early indicators s.....

Quicker tariff implementation needed

South Africa’s wheat import tariff, designed to shield local producers from the effects of subsidies granted to producers in other wheat-exporting countries, has officially been published on 10 July t.....

GOSA Cape workshop: SHEQ audit criteria needed

The development of audit criteria for health and safety – specifically regarding the grain storage industry and the growing problem of grain theft in the country – was a key topic at a recent workshop.....

Seed rights overhaul: New law strengthens IP protection

The new Plant Breeders’ Rights Act, 2018 (Act 12 of 2018) marks a significant shift in how intellectual property is managed in South African agriculture. While it brings the country in line with inter.....

Looking to the future of grain handling and storage

I was born in Boksburg, Gauteng, in 1975. Two years later, my parents and I moved to our family farm, Pleasant View, near Villiers. There, my father continued the family tradition of grain and livesto.....

Do you acknowledge the people around you

In my acceptance of writing this piece every quarter, I assume a position of vulnerability. I have to share my heart and some of the experiences and lessons I have learnt over many yearsin business, s.....

Renewed thrust for land reform measures expropriation, land ceilings, land register?

The debate on land reform in South Africa does seem like a case of the same proposals coming around again and again. Although South Africa has a clear constitutional and legal framework for land refor.....

Effective preparedness and pre-emergency fire planning

The tenth virtual SHEQ workshop presented by Agbiz and Agbiz Grain centred on emergency preparedness and pre-emergency planning for fires, highlighting its relevance, key objectives, and practical imp.....

The square or rectangular silo: Option or not?

While the world is not getting any bigger, the same cannot be said for the number of people inhabiting it. As a result many countries are facing the challenge of producing enough food, and finding eno.....

The IDC’s role in developing new opportunities for industry development

The strategic vision of the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC) is to drive inclusive and sustainable agro- industrialisation, supporting job creation, rural development, and spat.....

BFAP report provides key insights into malting barley

A report aimed at assessing and quantifying the risks associated  with the production, storage, handling, transport, and processing of malting barley has been tentatively released. This follows t.....

Grain losses in silos due to pests and rodents

The main purpose of a grain silo is to maintain the quality of grain by keeping exterior elements such as pests and undesirable weather at bay. These iconic structures are a familiar sight in grain-pr.....

South Africa’s 2025 budget: A balancing act

South Africa’s 2025 budget speech delivered by finance minister Enoch Godongwana on 12 April, presents a challenging scenario for the country’s economic future. As the country grapples with numerous c.....

Early impressions of the soya bean multiple reference point location differential

Grain differential has long been a topic of contention among industry role-players involved in the storage and handling of grain commodities and oilseeds. Longstanding grievances and concerns regardin.....

The greater purpose

My first step into grain handling and storage was at MKB (now part of Overberg Agri) in Moorreesburg, Western Cape more than 20 years ago. As a young agriculturalist, I was assigned to take dust sampl.....

Current and predicted effects of climate change on South Africa’s grain industry

Maize, rice, wheat, and barley are among the most widely grown grain crops in the world and are all susceptible to changing climate conditions. In this regard, the grain industry finds itself in uncha.....

ESG: Implications for the grain and oilseeds sector

The abbreviation ESG stands for environmental, social and governance. It is a framework used internationally by stakeholders to assess an organisation’s business practices and performance on various s.....

Agbiz Grain SHEQ seminar exceeds expectations

The Agbiz Grain SHEQ, or safety, health, environment and quality, seminar held in Pretoria last year brought together industry leaders to discuss critical issues pertaining to the grain storage sector.....

Final Network Statement: A step closer to moving grain by rail again

Over the last 20 years, there has been a steady shift from rail transport  to road transport in South Africa. The transport of bulk agricultural products  such as grains, sugar cane, and tim.....

Internship programme for grain silo managers

Agbiz Grain and the Peritum Agri Institute are joining forces to grow a pipeline of work-ready grain silo managers in South Africa. In addition to affording 70 young people access to a career in grain.....

Don’t underrate the value of internships

Do not neglect interns by having them do menial work that keeps them from really sinking their teeth into the business aspects of a company to gain some much-needed industry experience.This is the adv.....

Agricultural resilience can ensure food security

The drought has laid bare the extraordinary resilience of our producers. Despite grappling with the harsh realities of climate change, these unsung heroes continue to toil, ensuring our country remain.....

Hyperspectral imaging: See grain grading differently

Combining machine learning with data collected from light interactions with objects, hyperspectral imaging could one day enable grain storage operators to grade grain more quickly, efficiently, and wi.....

South Africa’s mineral wealth and its importance to agriculture

The long-term global growth in the production of staple foods and commodities such as maize, sorghum, wheat, soya beans, and sunflower seed is dependent on population growth. Long- term trends over se.....

Revolutionising farming with agritech

Nico Groenewald, former head of Agribusiness at Standard Bank, conveyed a strong message at the TLU SA congress in September this year: “Don’t let poor technological decisions impede financial decisio.....

Laws and regulations in the agricultural sector

Agriculture is constantly evolving, whether in respect of products, working conditions, or marketing strategies. As technology,  market dynamics, and consumer needs and preferences change, those .....

Future-proofing food security

According to an article by Wolfram Schlenker, a professor at Columbia University, and David Lobell of Stanford University, published in Environmental  Research Letters, climate change could cause.....

Focus on China and Middle East agri trade

With South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s state visit to China concluded,  the next stop should be the Middle East. But before transitioning to the Middle East, let’s briefly examine China’s.....

BLOG

CATEGORIES