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THEME
Reimagine agriculture
The 2022 Integrated Report ( IR ) showcases the strategic worth of Senwes ’ future-focused business approach , whilst at the same time reaffirming its commitment towards relevance , innovation and value creation . By doing so , the businesses enabled stakeholders to re-envision and ultimately re-engineer their business potential .
The past financial year will go down in history as one of the rarest , yet possibly most beneficial ones for South African farmers and by association , Senwes . The year combined a huge harvest with higher prices – particularly in the grains and oilseeds industries , boosting farmers ’ incomes . Ordinarily , a large harvest tends to lead to lower commodity prices , and farmers ’ profits being under pressure , but for the 2022 financial year commodity prices remained elevated , both locally and internationally .
The country experienced some challenging moments during the year , such as the July 2021 unrest in KwaZulu- Natal and Gauteng that impacted the main trade logistics corridors , increased theft of rail infrastructure , followed by a cyber attack on Transnet , which briefly affected the movement of goods out of South Africa . For the agricultural , food and beverages sectors , which are export-oriented , the unrest happened at particularly crucial times as it occurred at the height of citrus exports .
Apart from the highest rainfall recorded in 116 years ( according to Grain SA ) during December of 2021 , the 2021 winter was also the coldest on record . A total of 19 minimum temperature records were set and snow swept through parts of the country .
The first rains of the 2021 / 2022 season arrived on time , with planting having kicked off roughly within the optimal planting window , from October , in the eastern regions of South Africa .
The continuation of heavy rains , however , proved to be a challenge for various regions . Flooding occurred in the Free State , Northwest , Limpopo and parts of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces . This caused crop damage and delayed planting in these regions . After the heaviest downpour in six decades , South Africa was forced to
ON THE COVER
Daniel Thladi ’ s artwork serves as the background for Senwes ’ 2022 Integrated Report . Through the creative expression of art , the viewer is drawn into a process of critical thinking , allowing for new discoveries and imagination . This links up with the theme of this report , namely reimagine agriculture .
suspend shipping at its main port in Durban due to extensive flood damage to harbour and road infrastructure . This placed the entire logistical value chain under severe pressure . This was a La Niña-induced event and came in a season that followed a year of above-average soil moisture .
In effect , this was an unusual period for South Africa since the country has not had three consecutive seasons of above-average rainfall in a long time .
The current 2021 / 22 rainy season followed the 2020 / 21 and 2019 / 20 seasons , which also realised abovenormal rainfall , although it was fortunately still moderate in terms of intensity and supported agricultural activity .
The past financial year will go down in history as one of the rarest , yet possibly most beneficial ones for South African farmers and by association , Senwes .
SENWES INTEGRATED REPORT 2022
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