NAMPO Cape 2024: From Humble Beginnings to Premier Agricultural Showcase
NAMPO Cape 2024 was launched to the media on Friday, 19 July. At the event, Christiaan Neethling, Former Chairperson, gave a retrospective of the first Mechanisation Day held in the Bredasdorp area in 1994 under the leadership of the late Niel Giliomee. These humble beginnings, with 10 exhibitors, grew with passion and enthusiasm into the successful NAMPO Cape Expo with 34 635 visitors and 516 exhibitors in 2023.
Henk Aggenbach, Chairperson of the Bredasdorp Park Board, which hosts NAMPO Cape in collaboration with Grain SA, lifted the veil on what visitors can expect at the fifth presentation of NAMPO Cape. “There are already about 530 exhibitors allocated to 600 plots, and there are still exhibitors on the waiting list. Some of the new items on the NAMPO Cape menu are the Greenworks Demonstration Track where battery-powered vehicles are tested and demonstrated and visitors will see the South African Champion sheepdogs and their handlers in action in the BKB Livestock Centre where sheepdog training and competitions are held. The graceful LIpizzaner horses will once again wow visitors with their dances in the Western Cape Lubricants Arena. This year’s Women’s Programme in the Distinctive Choice tent and the flowers in the Voermol- and Neptun halls will ensure that the women attending NAMPO Cape ask their husbands to stay a little longer!”
Aggenbach also invited farmers, farm workers and learners to enter their patents in the NAMPO Cape Farmers’ Plans competition. He also encouraged visitors to buy their tickets online at www.ticketpros.co.za. in this way they not only save R20 per adult, but save a lot of time because they do not have to wait in long lines to access the site.
Dr Tobias Doyer, CEO, Grain SA, placed the Western Cape Grain Industry under the magnifying glass. According to Doyer, the focus areas in the grain industry are to optimise production, unlock new markets, transform the food system and conserve the soil for generations to come. “NAMPO Cape is the platform where producers and suppliers come together to reflect on the cost/price squeeze. The challenge today is for farmers to produce more with less, and new technology is the key to success.”
During NAMPO Cape there are 4 ha grain trials where suppliers showcase new technology in grain production. NAMPO Cape also offers a schools programme where learners with agricultural technology and agricultural management can experience what they learn in the classroom in practice.
Dr Ivan Meyer, Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism in the Western Cape, explained the implications of the Government of National Unit for Agriculture in the Western Cape: “Agriculture has experienced 30 years of fundamental uncertainty, but in the RNE, agriculture is a pillar of economic growth and food security a priority. Agriculture is the engine of job creation and economic growth and therefore the voice of farmers and farm workers needs to be heard in Parliament.”
According to Dr Meyer, biosecurity and phytosanitary interventions are high on the list of priorities for both the National Department of Agriculture and the Western Cape Government. “Given the threat of FMD to the cattle industry, livestock owners should remain vigilant, step up their biosecurity measures and take all possible precautions to prevent the disease from spreading to the Western Cape.” Western Cape Premier Alan Winde requested Meyer to urgently write to National Agriculture Minister, John Steenhuisen, requesting him to introduce a temporary ban on the movement of livestock to the Western Cape.
See you there!
Entrance tickets are available online at www.ticketpros.co.za, with discounts on entrance fees for online purchases, at R80 for adults and R50 for school-aged children. Tickets at the gates will be on sale at R100 for adults and R50 for children. Preschoolers come in for free. NAMPO Cape runs from Wednesday, 11 to Friday, 13 September from 08:00 to 17:00 and Saturday, 14 September from 08:00 – 14:00. Visitors can contact the Cape Agulhas Tourism Office for accommodation on 028 424 2584 / 082 896 2225 or www.overberg-info.co.za
For more information about NAMPO Cape 2024, visit www.nampokaapco.za, contact Chrystal van Wyk on 028 050 1385 or email admin@expo.org.za