Senwes Scenario December 2017 - March 2018 | Page 18

•••• T RADE N E W S Julias Ramohlabi appointed member of PETFAFF Training is his passion Developing agriculture is the gain JULIAS RAMOHLABI IS A MAN WITH A TREMEN- DOUS PASSION FOR TRAINING. HE CELEBRATES A DECADE AT SENWES THIS YEAR, SINCE BEING APPOINTED AS A JUNIOR AGRONOMIST IN 2007. AUBREY KRUGER A year later he was promoted to agronomist and he served in this capacity until he became key account manager in 2015. He is now the manager of the developing agriculture section and is responsible for the total portfolio. He was appointed as a member of the Provincial Education and Training Forum for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (PETFAFF) in the Free State recently, after having been nominated by Senwes. He is honoured for having been nominated and then to be one of the select few to serve on the forum. His immediate response was that “it is an oppor- tunity to make a meaningful contribution towards developing agriculture and the training of our farmers”. We asked Julias a few more questions. 16 WHAT IS YOUR ROLE REGARDING DEVELOPING AGRICULTURE? “My main responsibility within Senwes is to grow the developing agriculture book and provide access to finance, technical assis- tance (mentoring) and access to market.” WHICH CROPS ARE YOU FOCUSING ON? “We are focusing mainly on farm- ers who are planting maize, sun- flower, soybeans and wheat.” WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES FOR EMERGING FARMERS? “The main challenges that affect emerging farmers to access fund- ing are: Lack of collateral, a thin balance sheet, negative cash flow and repayment ability.” HOW DO YOU SEE DEVELOPING AGRI- CULTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA? “There is a good prospect of suc- cess in the developing agriculture, but government and private sector need to work together.” Agriculture, specifically the MEC of Agriculture, regarding the training of farmers and students in respect of agriculture at large.” HOW DO THE TWO POSITIONS RELATE TO EACH OTHER? “They complement each other perfectly. I pursue intensive men- torship to ensure smoother tran- sition – the only way to transfer skills is through training.” WHAT NEEDS TO BE IMPLEMENTED IMMEDIATELY? “The Government should release the title deeds so that the farmers can access funding from financial institutions or give credit guaran- tees.” WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO, AND CHAL- LENGES FACING SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE? “I am not a person who likes to see boundaries being imposed on me, just give me my freedom and I’ll create my own boundaries. The agricultural sector in South Africa is constantly affected by changes in climate, technology and policies.” WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A MEMBER OF THE TRAINING FORUM? “My main responsibility will be to advise the Department of “WHERE CAN PRODUCERS CONTACT YOU? They can call me directly on 018 464 7156, or send an e-mail to [email protected]. DEC 2017-MAR 2018 • SENWES Scenario