Senwes Scenario June / July 2019 | Page 11

NEWS Senwes leads call to support local farming  By Kefiloe Manthata Senwes Journalist I n January 2019 Senwes set a chal- lenge to South African companies to answer the call to assist farmers who are suffering the conditions of drought and a drop in red meat prices. Following Agri SA’s call to “braai the farm- ers’ problems away” Senwes launched a #braaivirdieboere campaign. The success of the #braaiforthefarmers birthed a Senwes campaign to educate consumers on the importance of suppor­ ting local farmers. Since then, Fridays at Senwes have been dedicated to affirming the commitment that Senwes has made to support local commodities. Senwes donated 150 heads of cabbage, bought from the Thobo Trust anchored Itokisetseng vegetable garden project, to the Christmas Tree Project beneficiaries. First up in the spotlight was firm favourite, chicken! Senwes staff enjoyed an array of different chicken dishes. We followed up with milk and then potatoes and learned interesting facts about how much of each of these commodities we consume daily. The campaign took a heart-warming turn the following week when we put the spotlight on cabbage. Most recently, we have put vegetables at the forefront of the #forethefarmers campaign. The call for this winter is to buy local vegetables, stay healthy and support local farmers. The point of this campaign is to remind us of Senwes Chief Group Executive Francois Strydom’s words saying “whether you are in agriculture or not, the truth is that every single South African is part of the agri-value chain, the food and pro­ ducts you consume daily were grown on a farm. It’s about food security.” SENWES SCENARIO | WINTER 2019 09