Agriculture: The key to SA's growth

1 Jun 2016

Agriculture and rural development are cornerstones of the National Development Plan (NDP), and they have been identified as key areas that will help drive economic and social growth for the South African economy. With agriculture being a big contributor to employment and GDP, the past year has seen significant progress being made with more partnerships and ventures within the sector, the vision is to have one million people employed in the agricultural sector by 2030. However, there are currently several obstacles that are facing the sector, such as the recent drought, but there are calls for renewing and redoubling efforts and involvement from the youth, South African businesses and government to push the sector to become a robust contributor to the economy.

Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan has highlighted that it is the state’s priority to transform and improve the agriculture sector. In realising this vision, resources will be allocated to developing small-scale farms and agri-parks in rural areas. Around 120,000 hectares of land will be transformed for productive use. However, according to the South African government, the success of the vision for agriculture to be realised by 2030 will depend largely on strong and strategic partnerships that are formed between business and government.

The Vision 2030 Summit is a platform for members of the presidency, key government dignitaries and private sector leaders to share insights, engage and discuss the vision for the National Development Plan. It highlights key aspects around Vision 2030 and how key organisations and individuals can contribute to make it a reality.

This year, the summit is proud to host some of the highest esteemed figures and companies in South African society, including the honourable Jeff Radebe and Matthews Phosa. It is with great pride to announce that Tiger Brands will sponsor this breakaway session on 8 June during the course of the summit and speaking as a panelist is Dr. Ziyanda Majokweni, the General Manager of Corporate Affairs at the South African Weather Services.

"As the largest manufacturer of branded food products in Sub-Saharan Africa, Tiger Brands aligns its social outreach foci to those issues that address key national and global priorities which speak to its business activities, strategy and mandate. Food security is related to poverty in various aspects including affordability of and access to consistent, sufficient and nutritious food supply” – Tiger Brands.

Topco Media is proud to once again host the Vision 2030 Summit, at Emperors Palace, in Johannesburg on 8 and 9 June 2016. This summit promises to be an informative and productive experience for members of both the public and private sector. Attendees will gain practical insight, with opportunities to network and form partnerships.

Tiger Brands is a much loved and respected name in all South African homes. Founded in 1921, Tiger Brands has built a reputation of excellence in services and products; and a legacy as being a top performing company, contributing significantly to many sectors within the South African economy. Tiger Brands also promotes rural farming enterprises and the majority of its agricultural commodities are grown here in South Africa. Some of Tiger Brands products include aspects of many South Africans’ everyday life, such as beverages, grains, home care and personal hygiene products. The Summit is therefore proud to announce this sponsorship, with a brand that has walked a very long path with South Africans.

For more information about the Summit, the accompanying publication, or how you can be involved in this exciting initiative, please contact Micheline Frantz:

az.oc.ocpot@ztnarf.enilehciM - 086 000 9590

DYNAMIC BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA Topco Media is one of South Africa's leading business-to-business media houses, producing high profile, relevant conferences and awards. Our conferences include Africa Tech Week, Standard Bank Top Women, Top Empowerment, Future of HR, National Business Awards and Future of Sustainability. We also produce authoritative and informative business and investment publications such as Top 500, Top Empowerment, Nelson Mandela 100 years to name a few.