Agri Research
R80 million agri R&D facility
One of biggest privately-funded
Opens in Caledon, Western Cape
Emerging Farmer winners.
(left to right): Zone President, SAB & AB InBev Africa, Ricardo Moreira; Female
Farmer of the Year winner, Vivian Gosekwang Pico; Young Farmer of the
Year winner, Lovedalia Njabulo Mbokane; Barley Farmer of the Year winner,
Matthews Monapula Senokwane; Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mcebisi
Skwatsha; SAB Director of Agricultural Development, Josh Hammann; Maize
Farmer of the Year winner, Januarie Solomon Masingo; and SAB Vice President
Corporate Affairs, Zoleka Lisa – at the opening of the R80 million agricultural
Research and Development facility in Caledon in the Western Cape today.
Agri part of
R610-million investment
The R&D facility is part of a
R610-million 5-year investment
in Agriculture, which is part of the
R1-billion public interest commit-
ments SAB made to the South
African government at the time of
its 2016 merger with AB InBev.
It is expected that SAB will
exceed its initial target and
commitment to reach 800 farmers in total by 2021 with the figure
already close to 700 currently
reached. By the end of last year,
the emerging farmers programme
was ahead of schedule, with 684
farmers reached - 44% of them
women and 15% youth.
In addition, SAB has set itself
a target to fully localise barley
production by achieving a harvest
of 425 000 tonnes by 2021, and
to become a net exporter of hops.
FarmSol
Through agricultural support
services company FarmSol, which
was set up by SAB specifically for
the task, SAB supports emerging
farmers with zero-interest bearing
loans and helps with procure-
ment, mechanisation, advice
and hedging of crops, while
also entering into guaranteed
offtake agreements which ensure
a reliable income and sustain-
ability of the farm.
“This closing of the loop –
from financial assistance to
purchasing the crops – as well as
free support services, sets the SAB
emerging farmers programme
apart,” says Hammann.
SAB also co-operates closely
with the Agricultural Research Council, and is currently working
on an early warning system to
detect outbreaks of Fall Army
Worm, a pest that invaded the
country three years ago and
affects all crops.
“Despite the drop-in commodity
prices and difficult conditions last
year, the majority of emerging
farmers in our programme are
already profitable. Our Farmer
of the Year award went to a
black woman farmer for the first
time,” said Hamman.
By processing all its maize and
barley requirements in South
Africa, SAB also supports the
government’s drive to increase
agri-processing in the country,
along with its commitments to
agricultural development.
S
AB announced recently that it has opened an R80
million agricultural Research and Development (R&D)
facility in Caledon in the Western Cape, which will
pilot new farming techniques, technology and crop varieties
to accelerate agricultural development in South Africa.
The facility will have a critical focus on black emerging
farmers. Amongst other research, irrigation trials will
also be conducted, effectively building a knowledge
base for farmers.
The facility was officially
launched in conjunction with
the National Department of
Agriculture in September.
It is one of the largest
privately funded Research and
Development facilities in South
Africa and all research output
will be made freely available
on a dedicated website, along
with weather data, to ensure the
benefits are spread as widely as
possible to all farmers.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture,
Mcebisi Skwatsha, noted that
Agriculture and Agro processing
industries play an important role
in making a contribution towards
economic growth, poverty allevia-
tion and job creation. SAB’s efforts
are an important part of this.
With
micro-breweries,
a
malting plant and laboratory on
site to test and enhance new vari-
eties of barley for making beer,
the centre will open new oppor-
tunities for farmers to improve
yield and profitability, and for
brewers to enhance flavour in
their beverages.
18
With the ARC
The space is designed for
collaboration in order to co-create
innovative solutions with part-
ners, including the Agricultural
Research Council.
The centre will also test new
farming techniques and varieties
of all cereal crops grown in the
region – including oats, barley,
canola and wheat – to develop
new standards in agricultural
best practice and to improve
food security.
Josh Hammann, SAB director
of agricultural development,
explained that the R&D facility
would test new practices,
including the impact of elimi-
nating the use of pesticides in one
field and comparing the results
with another field sprayed with
pesticides, which would be too
financially risky for a commer-
cial farmer to try.
The centre will also conduct
trials for input efficiency, irri-
gation, management, growth
regulators and crop protectants
to build a knowledge base for
new and existing emerging and
commercial farmers.
SABI | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019