Opportunity Issue 103
Opportunity magazine is a niche business-to-business publication that explores various investment opportunities within Southern Africa’s economic sectors. The publication is endorsed by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI).
Opportunity magazine is a niche business-to-business publication that explores various investment opportunities within Southern Africa’s economic sectors. The publication is endorsed by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI).
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AGRI TECH<br />
Innovation in agriculture<br />
Danise Smit, Sales and Customer Services Director for RS Components South<br />
Africa, reports on the trends that were on display at South Africa’s biggest<br />
agricultural festival, NAMPO Harvest Day.<br />
From electric vehicles to smart monitoring drone<br />
technology, the NAMPO Harvest Day 2022 was an<br />
event that shone a spotlight on modern agriculture<br />
and various approaches that South Africa should<br />
consider in order to move this sector forward and<br />
keep up with international markets.<br />
Regarded as the largest agricultural exhibition of its kind in the<br />
Southern Hemisphere, the renowned NAMPO Harvest Day saw<br />
thousands of visitors flock to Bothaville in the Free State to gain<br />
first-hand insights on the latest advancements in technology,<br />
equipment and tools to benefit the agricultural industry in South<br />
Africa. The town of Bothaville certainly enjoyed the opportunities<br />
presented by NAMPO, as local businesses and boutiques polished<br />
their offerings for the influx of people to the usually quiet town.<br />
Due to the global pandemic, the NAMPO Harvest Day took<br />
a two-year hiatus between 2020 and 2021. To keep in line with<br />
Covid-19 regulations the 2022 event took place over five days as<br />
opposed to four to accommodate the restricted number of daily<br />
visitors to the show. RS Components South Africa was one of the<br />
many companies that exhibited.<br />
Danise Smit, Sales and Customer Services Director for RS<br />
Components South Africa, said that the RS team who attended the<br />
show connected with hundreds of new and existing customers. “It was<br />
great for us to have face-to-face interactions<br />
with the farming community after two years.<br />
So much has changed both in technology and<br />
in how farming is done. As a company that is<br />
always driving innovation to create a better<br />
world, it made sense to showcase our IoT and<br />
Food Safety solutions. Farming is becoming<br />
smarter, more efficient and more sustainable<br />
and it’s really exciting to walk that journey with<br />
our customers,” she said.<br />
At this year’s NAMPO Harvest Day, RS<br />
South Africa showcased several sensing<br />
and monitoring products and solutions.<br />
RS also displayed several RS Pro Food Safe<br />
maintenance products for use in food<br />
processing and farming. All RS Pro Food Safe<br />
products are registered with the National<br />
Sanitisation Foundation (NSF), an international<br />
public health and safety organisation,<br />
demonstrating risk reduction compliance.<br />
The handling, preparation, processing and packaging of food products<br />
requires machinery with moving parts that encounter foodstuffs.<br />
Keeping this equipment clean and lubricated involves the use of nonfood<br />
chemical products. NSF certification ensures that such products<br />
present a significantly lowered risk to health and assist to effectively<br />
eliminate the risk of foodstuff contamination when used appropriately.<br />
Drone technology<br />
NAMPO Harvest Day 2022 saw the introduction of commercial<br />
electric vehicles as well as the evolution of drone technology<br />
which can be used for surveying and analysis as well as seed and<br />
pesticide dispersion.<br />
36 | www.opportunityonline.co.za
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