The challenges and opportunities in Africa's agricultural sector will fall under the spotlight at the second Agribizniz Summit, which takes place on 11-12 August at the Expo Centre in Johannesburg. The event forms part of the African Farmers Workshop and Expo (AFWE) which runs from 12 to 14 August at the same venue.
A number of high-level speakers and participants have been secured:
"This two-day Agribizniz Summit enables delegates, captains of industry, executives, academics and observers across the agribusiness value chain to engage, network and debate on critical issues in the agricultural industry," explains Mahlatse Masimini, MD of Moshate Media, organisers of the event. "In recent years, the importance of smallholders' contributions to agriculture has gained increasing recognition, with the Government allocating more than R7bn towards assisting 435,000 subsistence and 545,000 smallholder farmers over the next three years. The Agribizniz Summit and the African Farmers Workshop and Expo provide an ideal platform to reach these markets," adds Masimini.
This year's Agribizniz Summit is sponsored by Transnet and Tiger Brands.
The Agribizniz Summit runs alongside the AFWE, which aims to help transform farming through empowerment programmes, provision of tools and equipment, teaching best practices to farmers, and fostering relations between commercial and emerging farmers, while showcasing all the opportunities that the agricultural sector has to offer.
"AFWE is really a one stop shop for emerging farmers," says Masimini. "Through the combination of an indoor and outdoor expo, a breeders expo, daily workshops, the AgriYouth Indaba and the Agribizniz Summit, visitors have a unique opportunity to access a wealth of information, resources, products and services - all of which will equip emerging and subsistence farmers to run more efficient, more profitable farms." The types of products that will be showcased include agricultural machinery and commercial vehicles, irrigation equipment, research organisations, financial services, chemical products, livestock, dairy equipment, IT technology and animal health products.
As a result of the show's phenomenal success, AFWE events will be hosted in three additional provinces this year - KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and the North West - with the same objectives.