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CHAPTER 8
Since 2008 the
Day of Celebration
has become an annual red letter date for
everyone involved in Grain SA’s FDP. On this day, presented at a centrally situated
venue, nominees for the 205 Ton Club as well as finalists
Farmer of the Year
Each year a competition is held in all three categories and it is really heartening to
see the progress of the farmers. Each year there are also more farmers who wish to
compete and it is increasingly difficult to identify a winner as the bar is raised.
It is
no longer possible simply to judge them on the production practices and the good
commercial practice is becoming the norm.
PARTNERSHIPS AND RECAPITALISATION
No one group can take ownership of the development process.
There are many role-players in the grain industry and it is important that there are
good working relationships as we all share the same goal. The field of agricultural
development is wide and it is important to access information and support on all
aspects. Through this programme an attempt is made to involve all the various
role-players in the agricultural industry in the development of farmers – there is a
role to be played by each one in terms of their own speciality.
Co-ordination is essential if there is to be constant and sustained progress. In the inter-
ests of long term sustainability, the farmers have to be assisted to get to know all the
The 2015 winner of the Grain SA/Absa Subsistence Farmer of
the Year was Ngubengcuka Moyo. From the left, congratulating
Ngubengcuka, is Jane McPherson (Grain SA Manager: Farmer
Development Programme), Ramodisa Monaisa (Master of Cer-
emonies and Vice-chairperson of the Farmer Development Work-
ing Group), Jannie de Villiers (CEO, Grain SA) and Ernst Janovsky
(Head: Centre for Excellence Absa Agri Business).
Solomon Masango, accompanied by his beautiful wife, Christina,
was the 2015 Grain SA/Absa/John Deere Financial New Era Com-
mercial Farmer of the Year. Jannie de Villiers, Ramodisa Monaisa,
Ernst Janovsky and Antois van der Westhuizen (Head: Sales Financ-
ing – Sub Sahara Africa, John Deere Financial) congratulated the
winner.
The winner of the Grain SA/Syngenta Smallholder Farmer of the
Year, 2015 was Dalinwonga Nomwebu.