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of this project is to provide intensive one-on-one support to outstanding candidates who have
come out of the study group system in terms of production planning, management, making
financial applications and reporting, etc.
A total of
118 producers
are currently being supported in this reporting period and they have re-
ceived
1 556 on-farm visits
with one-on-one mentorship. Over time these individuals have proved
themselves on a number of levels, including commitment, competency and potential. It is believed
that with intensive one-on-one support they could grow their farming enterprises further.
The following collaborating projects help to deliver support to advanced producers in the programme.
STIMULUS – DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DALRRD)
This season saw the implementation of
26 projects
with developing commercial producers. Grain SA
managed joint accounts and budgets with the participating producers. The regional offices involved
were Bloemfontein, Lichtenburg and Louwsburg. These producers received
209 farm visits
, which
included business plan development and management, mentorship, crop monitoring and budget
tracking support from the Grain SA producer development team mentors.
SOUTH AFRICAN CULTIVAR AND TECHNOLOGY AGENCY (SACTA)
This reporting period has seen the project involved with
35 producers
managed by the Bloemfontein,
Dundee, Kokstad, Lichtenburg and Louwsburg regional offices. These producers had
520 farm
visits
from the Farmer Development team. The production input support is based on a revolving
three-year term loan for growing maize and soybeans in rotation. The project has run smoothly and the
crops have done well this season, so the producers’ potential to pay back the loans is promising.
STANDARD BANK AND THE KGODISO DEVELOPMENT FUND
Grain SA/PGP has managed
11 projects with producers
who successfully applied for Standard Bank
production loans to grow maize, sunflowers, soybeans and sugar beans. The project is aimed at
producers who have the potential to become fully fledged commercial producers. The team at Grain SA
worked very hard to compile complete business plans for each enterprise, which is no small feat. The
regional offices that managed these projects are Bloemfontein, Dundee, Lichtenburg and Louwsburg.
These producers received a total of
206 farm visits
from the Grain SA Farmer Development team.
Since this season a new partner,
the Kgodiso Development Fund, an independent fund founded
by PepsiCo Inc., has been collaborating with this project towards the full-scale commercialisa-
tion of producers
. The fund aims to support the broad socio-economic imperatives of education,
SMMEs, emerging producers and enterprise development. They have seen fit to collaborate with
Grain SA Farmer Development in the Standard Bank project and now contribute to the producers
participating in this project alongside Standard Bank on a 50/50 basis.
SOUTH AFRICAN BREWERIES (SAB)
AB Inbev has prioritised the development of black commercial producers and had been collaborating
with Grain SA/PGP towards establishing a project which has this goal in view. The funds are donated to
individual producers who benefit from production input support, mentorship and project management
administration per hectare. This year, 46 producers participated in the Grain SA/SAB project and they
received a total of 555 visits from the Farmer Development team.
FARMER DEVELOPMENT