Building efficient and sustainable operations for SA agriculture
We talk to Gerhard Pienaar, Business Development Leader, Agriculture for Bearings International (BI) – a distributor of bearings and power transmission products in Southern Africa who is getting itself ready to unveil a range of products for the agricultural industry – to find out more about what Bearings International is looking to achieve at this year's Grain SA's Nampo Harvest Day, as he shares insights into on the importance of new technologies and more...
Tell us more about Bearings International and the role that it plays within South Africa’s agriculture sector?
BI, a member of the Hudaco Group, is a distributor of bearings and power transmission products in Southern Africa that supplies leading products and solutions to the agricultural sector.
What are your main objectives?
With our customer-focused approach, BI is committed to delivering value to all our stakeholders, while offering quality solutions that make a real difference to optimising machinery availability and turnaround time.
With over 60 years in the bearings and power transmission industry, BI puts its experience to good use by going to great lengths to ensure our product ranges and services meet the changing needs of clients, industry and business.
Backed by an elite technical team, BI covers the full spectrum of customer requirements and is able to ensure immediate availability of products through a nationwide network of branches.
You will be launching an Agri Hub during NAMPO 2019 – can you tell us more about this? What does it mean for farmers?
Our new 200ml blue and white high-quality Agri Grease sachets for general-purpose agricultural application are easy to transport as they can be easily stored in a farmer’s pocket. It is simple to apply, which is perfect for a farmer attending to his/her machinery in the field.
Jonnesway Agri Toolbox was developed in a joint venture and Gondolier, the importer of Jonnesway Professional Tools, over the last six months. The toolbox contains essential tools to solve almost any problem in the field. Housed in a rugged and easily portable box, the tools are of the highest quality. The toolbox features spanners, screwdrivers, an electric current testing pen, pliers, punches, files, a hacksaw with spare blades – and a large hammer – all contained in a compact and sturdy case that can fit comfortably behind the seat of any bakkie.
The new Agri Hub bearings have been designed specifically for use in agricultural equipment such as combine harvesters, planters, balers, tractors, spreaders, mixers, and hammer mills. Sprockets, chains – and accessories are available for major combine-harvester brands. These specialised hub bearings and deep groove ball bearings have been developed for use on agricultural equipment in Southern Africa, which have to withstand the harsh conditions in which these bearings have to operate.
These bearings feature the special Tri-Ply seals designed in a one piece triple lip seal moulded to an electro-plated shroud cap that extends to the outer circumference of the bearing in order to protect against contamination of dust and moisture.
The agricultural hub bearings have special design features to protect the bearings from dust and moisture and are pre-lubricated for life. We also have specially-packed fastener kits with the correct bolts and nuts for these agricultural hub bearings and the different coulters that they operate with.
The design of the agricultural hub bearings is such that the operating life is extended under harsh operating conditions. One-piece designs with different adaptor shafts reduce the need for extensive spares replacements in different applications and therefore is very cost-effective.
Have you had any demos released – if yes – what has the response been like?
We have released demos of Agri Hub bearings at Nampo 2018, which have been very well received since they were launched.
Why is it important to be a part of these kinds of expo’s? What does it mean for BI?
Nampo is a premier event in the agricultural calendar that provides us with a very important platform to create awareness of BI’s broad spectrum offering to the agriculture sector, which includes our Agri Smart Brand. Events like these are vital in order for us to reconnect with our existing customers and to potentially gain many new customers.
Looking at the South African agriculture market – tell us your thoughts on what you think it should do to better equip itself when it comes to growing climate change concerns?
The increased demand for agricultural resources owing to South Africa’s ever-growing population is placing increased pressure on our fragile agricultural system.
It is important for farmers to adapt their farming methods to mitigate their impact on the agricultural system to ensure they produce more food in a more efficient, and environmentally sustainable manner, while also achieving net reductions in GHG emissions from food production and marketing.
Agricultural technologies play a key role in addressing these fundamental challenges. While most technologies have climate implications, some are of particular relevance to agriculture and climate change, especially in developing countries.
Several new agricultural technologies offer farmers a host of advantages, such as increased productivity and crops that offer greater flexibility in adapting to climate change. These improved seeds have been bred to include traits that confer tolerance to stresses like drought, salinity, pests and diseases. Other new traits reduce carbon emissions by minimising the need for tillage and its associated fuel use, decrease or eliminate the need for pesticide applications - and allow crops to mature early, to reduce farmers’ exposure to the risk of extreme weather events.
These promising technologies can emerge from traditional breeding techniques that leverage existing varieties well-suited to the vagaries of local production environments, as well as from more advanced biotechnology techniques, such as genetic modification.
When it comes agricultural innovation – what are your thoughts for the sector. How can the industry improve when it comes to incorporating new equipment?
It is crucial for the South African agricultural sector to keep innovating and make use of modern farming techniques and solutions. This is essential to ensure that the sector remains internationally cost competitive and environmentally sustainable. New technologies are consistently being introduced at every stage of the agricultural process from ploughing, planting, harvesting, baling all the way to the pack house stage and beyond. Therefore it is important for companies to make use of respected technology, equipment and spares suppliers that are operating within the sector.
Precision farming methods use technology to constantly monitor and adapt to the relationship between farming inputs and outputs in order to combat climate change. It seeks to reduce the use of harmful pesticides and make optimum use of scarce resources whilst at least maintaining, and, often increasing, expected yields.
Hydroponics in farming is whereby mineral nutrient solutions are used to replace the soil, which is another farming method that seeks to reduce inputs and provide for maximum yields. This method saves on land use and eliminates the restrictions of seasonality, and is estimated to use only 10% of the water required for traditional farming. Furthermore, as this system is essentially modular, hydroponics can be scaled to suit the size of various farm locations.
Why is it important to keep abreast of new technologies and innovations?
It is crucial as new technologies and innovations allow companies to have more efficient and environmentally-sustainable operations. At the farm level, many innovations are what one would call ‘process innovations’ as they relate to improving production techniques. For example, adopting improving seeds or irrigation systems. Downstream industries also innovate new and improved products, such as functional attributes for food (health) or in the chemical or pharmaceutical industry. All along the supply chain, marketing and organisational innovations are increasingly important.
What will you think will have an influence on the agricultural industry going forward – how can producers adapt?
The current debate around the contentious issue of land reform, particularly ‘expropriation without compensation’, remains a key concern to all those involved in the sector.
Other challenges include intermittent droughts that have impacted various parts of the country over the past three years. Investor confidence in the agricultural sector continues to be tepid, which is impacting the ability of some farmers to grow and in some cases just sustain their operations.
Adaption is crucial to improving productivity, sustainability and resilience in the agriculture sector and is one of the founding tenants of the worldwide agricultural sector.
