ProAgri Zambia - 019

ProAgri technology for the farmer

Z a m b i a

No 19

Free

Bigger and better

Titanium opens truck factory in Zambia

Buhler enriches your grain

T

his edition is jam-packed with Agritech stories and this will be the best information you can get about the show if you weren’t able attend the event.

One thing that struck me during the show is that free magazines with educational content will champ any other form of media for a long time to come.

Our stand at Agritech draw many farmers and we could hand out one of the extra copies we had printed to each one of them. It was extremely satisfying to send them home with a something of eternal value – free agricultural information.

Agritech offers us the best opportunity to engage with farmers and we are very glad that we had the opportunity to have a chat with so many people who shared our interest. We also had to an-

swer many questions and listen to brilliant suggestions, which we shall definitely look at in the days to come.

We visited many of our clients’ stands to find out more about what is hot and happening in their businesses and what they have to offer the farmer.

I wish to thank Spintelligent, who made it possible for us to be there. They did a brilliant job in organising the show in partnership with the ZNFU. This month, besides our regular soil and cattle handling series, you can also read about the exciting and brand new UD and Volvo truck factory in Lusaka and why you should choose Irrigation Unlimited’s systems.

Farm smartly!

Du Preez de Villiers dupreez@proagri.co.za

3

Handling of beef cattle: Part 9

7

Agritech shifted the benchmark… again

11 Farmers: Saro provides what you need 12 Buhler innovates for better food 13 PreSecure: When security matters 14 Agrico helps farmers to make the most of water 15 KSB is pumping away in Zambia 17 Omnia offers support to make farming profitable 18 Zambia drives Toyota: Don’t stay behind!

19 BHBW offers farming equipment to pick and choose 21 FG Wilson generators: Electricity without interruptions 22 FNB wants to help you 23 Irritech and Valley remain the irrigation solution 24 Best stand at Agritech: Albida Agriculture 25 K2 Agri cuts risks with quick growing maize 26 Pig farming for profit: Wangwa hogs Agritech show 27 GNSS Guidance boosts productivity and reduces operator fatigue

Content

28 Asphalia supplies Gallagher to make the farmer’s job easier 29 ETG: The backbone of farming in Zambia 31 AFGRI: Make hay days heydays with Active Mow and Easy Cut range 33 Irrigation Unlimited: Choose an irrigation system for your farm 34 ETG Zambia presents Zambian Fertilizer brand of Veg Mix 35 Soil: The farmer’s most important asset. Part 16 40 Titanium Motors unveils US$10m Volvo and UD Trucks factory

ProAgri Zambia 19

Cover

Letter from the Editor

On the first day of Agritech, Quintus Grobler and Xander Pieterse from ProAgri manned the stand and were still fresh and very serious about business.

Buhler understands how you can add value to your farm produce to give the consumer more. Read more about their presence in Zambia on page 12.

ProAgri technology for the farmer

Z a m b i a

Office no. 3 Fens Investment Building Lusaka Show Grounds

+26 (0)96-216-9801 www.proagri.co.za

Copyright © 2013. All rights reserved. No material, text or photographs may be reproduced, copied or in any other way transmitted without the written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or of the editor. We recognise all trademarks and logos as the sole property of their respective owners.

ProAgri shall not be liable for any errors or for any actions in reliance thereon.

ProAgri Zambia Editor Du Preez de Villiers > +27 82-598-7329 dupreez@proagri.co.za General Manager Zambia Quintus Grobler > +26 (0)96-216-9801 quintus@proagri.co.za Reporters Annemarie Bremner > +27 82-320-3642 annemarie@proagri.co.za Benine Cronjé > +27 73-105-6938 benine@proagri.co.za Marketing Xander Pieterse > +27 79-524-0934 xander@proagri.co.za Stefan van Wyk > +27 82-381-7563 stefan@agritrader.co.za Tiny Smith > +27 79-531-0024 tiny@proagri.co.za Design Esta van Niekerk Enquiries Lize du Plooy > +27 12-803-0667 lize@proagri.co.za Engela Botha > +27 12-803-0667 engela@proagri.co.za Accounts Ronel Keet > +27 12-803-0667 accounts@proagri.co.za Distribution Du Preez de Villiers > +27 12-803-0667 dupreez@proagri.co.za.co.za Business manager George Grobler

1

2

ProAgri Zambia 19

How to handle your beef cattle

Part 9: Commercial cattle farming - planning and design Costs are rising, profit margins are shrinking and the farmer is compelled to expand his operations to make a living.

More cattle mean more handling, demanding better facilities to cope with the workload. In this ninth part in our beef cattle handling series we start with a new section on the handling of cattle in large-scale commercial farming. We thank the ARC Institute for Agricultural Engineering in South Africa who made their manual on handling facilities available to the readers of ProAgri Zambia.

I

t is extremely important that the farmer must consider the financial implications of every decision, before he makes a final commitment. As it is very expensive to construct proper camps and pens, the facilities must be sufficient to house and handle the expensive animals. There are very important aspects regarding the design and construction of these facilities that the farmer must consider. The facilities must be designed to ensure that the animals are comfortable and that unnecessary handling of animals is avoided. Unnecessary handling of cattle has a detrimental cost implication, because the production and quality of the cattle decrease while labour costs increase.

In the planning of an efficient cat-

ProAgri Zambia 19

tle feedlot, a number of requirements must be considered. These planning requirements can include one or all of the following: • • • •

Feasibility study Choice of a suitable site Planning of the entire lay-out Planning and design of individual facilities

Feasibility study This is one of the aspects which is easily neglected, because the end product always looks profitable. A complete market survey must be done, in which the potential demand for and availability of the product must be analysed together with the current market prices.

Questions to consider are whether there is a demand for more meat, how great the demand is and whether it will be profitable to try and meet the need.

It is also necessary to investigate the most beneficial locality for such an enterprise. The locality is influenced, among others, by the following factors: • The availability of raw materials in the vicinity. This includes the supply of cattle from the immediate area.

If raw materials are unavailable, it can lead to high transport costs, which will make the enterprise less profitable. This also applies to fodder, silage, maize and other feed components. Electricity and a water source must also be available.

• The distance and cost of transport to the most important markets, whether by rail or by road.

• The suitability of the climate. Under certain climatic conditions, cattle are

inclined to show poor production, and these areas must be avoided.

Choice of a site When selecting a site, the following must be considered: • Is the site readily available and how does it compare with other sites?

• What is the quality of the existing infrastructure? Are there roads, electricity supply and water?

• The topography of the terrain earthmoving and drainage must be taken into account.

• The soil characteristics.

• Pollution problems.

With the choice of a site for a feedlot, it is important that the slope, the type of soil and prevailing winds must also be considered. Possible future extensions must be kept in mind.

A northern slope is recommended, as it dries out sooner. An incline of between 1% and 6% will aid drainage and will prevent an excess of solid manure water from running off during floods. The type of soil, whether it be sandy or clay, will give a good indication of what the incline should be.

Marshy soils must be avoided as far as possible, because of poor drainage.

Seen from a drainage viewpoint, gravel is recommended for a feedlot.

The direction of the prevailing winds must also be taken into account when deciding where the feedlot must be placed in relation to the other buildings (see figure 1). Equally important is sufficient space for waste water dams at the lower point of the pen lay-out and that dams must be placed at a safe distance from rivers (minimum 100 3

A superior game and livestock fencing

There is only ONE Bonnox FLEXI FENCE RINGLOK®

HI HINGEJOINT®

If you doubt whether you are being offered genuine fencing, confirm with us. zane@bonnox.co.za | gerda@bonnox.co.za | linda@bonnox.co.za www.bonnox.co.za | +27 (0)12-666-8717 | +27 (0)76-169-9068

Figure 1: m), streams and boreholes. To prevent contamination of streams, ensure that waste dams do not overflow except if there is a grass covered safety strip of at least 100 m wide. A better solution to possible problems is to use water from the manure dam for irrigation purposes or other alternatives.

Prevailing winds Planning of the entire lay-out A typical feedlot lay-out consists of a feedlot, handling facilities, office complex, hospital, feeding facilities, workshop complex, water supply, roads, drainage canals, manure and run-off storage dams, and windbreaks.

The positioning of these facilities is important and must be handled as such that the lay-out according to the characteristics of the site, is compact, tidy, orderly and labour-saving. Such a lay-out will promote productivity and will be easy to manage.

Depending on the distinct set-up, there will still be certain buildings on the site. If possible, these buildings must be integrated with the new buildings to save costs.

To determine distances between buildings, aspects such as ventilation, fire hazards and the spreading of disease must be kept in mind.

With the planning of the lay-out, it is important that the office must be the centre of the layout. It is just as important that the access road ends up in the office. This will make proper control over access to the site possible.

The access road must be as short and straight as possible and must be able to carry two-way traffic.

The handling pens, feed depot and workshop are arranged in a logical manner around the office, so that all traffic, especially between the silage trenches, feed depot and pens, will flow smoothly.

To regulate truck traffic, the processing plant and silage trenches must be placed as close as possible to the access roads. It is also better to place them uphill from the pens, so that heavy loads of feed can be transported downhill. Separate passages must be constructed, along which the cattle can be driven to prevent them from unnecessarily moving between trucks.

If so desired, a weighing bridge can be installed at the access gate, so that the animals and feed can be weighed while moving in and out.

To ensure a circular flow of activities between the feedlot pens and handling pens, it is important that the singleline pens connect to the handling pens.

The hospital pen and facilities for post mortem examinations must connect to the feedlots.

The water reservoir is usually at the highest point of the site to make use of gravity for the water flow to the troughs in the feedlots.

Flood water must be considered carefully during the planning of the site lay-out. Drainage problems in feedlots mainly occur as a result of insufficient inclines and poorly planned run off control. Rain water must be kept clean and must be directed in diversion courses.

Water harvested from roofs and any other run off water on the site around and above the pens, must be drained separately from the pen run off.

Sufficient space for possible future extensions must be allowed. Figure 2 shows a typical lay-out of the entire feedlot.

Next month we shall look at the planning and design of feeding and water troughs for individual facilities.

Published with acknowledgement to the AR Institute for Agricultural Engineering for the use of their Beef Cattle Handling Manual. Visit www.arc.agric.za for more information.

NoseRing • Wean with ease • No stress • Next to the mother

Whole Concepts cc PO Box 1806, Vryburg,8600, South Africa

Figure 2: Typical lay-out of entire feedlot ProAgri Zambia 19

Tel: +27 (0)53 927 4999 Cell: +27 (0)82 459 9451 E-mail: judy@nosering.co.za www.nosering.co.za

5

BEEF FEEDING

Agritech Show

shifted the benchmark‌ again

The GART Research Centre was once again a beehive of activities during the recent Agritech show. This year there were seven international pavilions. Another 242 local and international exhibitors decided to undertake the huge and daunting, but exciting task to erect their stands with care and elegance to display their exquisite merchandise and services. Last year there were just more than 165 stands and two international pavilions.

Agritech Zambia is regarded as one of the biggest agricultural shows in Africa and more than 18 000 people from all over the agricultural spectrum attended the show this year, compared to 17 605 visitors in 2016.

The show was organised for the fourth time by the event organiser, Spintelligent, and the ZNFU (Zambia National Farmers’ Union).

ProAgri had the privilege to have our own stand there and we had an extremely busy three days to visit the many exhibitions.

ProAgri Zambia 19

President Edgar Lungu entered the showgrounds in a John Deere combine harvester.

7

Agritech Show Greg Talbot, Managing Director of Tal-Tec, and his wife Ronell explained how animals can be handled quickly and safely to farmers who flocked to their stand in the Livestock Services pavilion.

AFGRI meticulously lined up their iconic green and yellow tractors. They are the distributors of this coveted brand in Zambia.

Green Drift Farming displayed one of their prime breeding cows at AgriTech.

Two farmers, Stewart Chinkuli and Mooba Steward from Chongwe, in conversation with Xander Pieterse, ProAgri Sales Consultant.

8

The Livestock Services pavilion was packed with the stands of suppliers.

ProAgri Zambia 19

SARO AGRO INDUSTRIAL LIMITED QUALITY & SERVICE

FEATURES

SELF PROPELLED SPRAYER

Self-propelled boom sprayer ideal for large areas and big jobs • 28 meter booms • 2 500 liter tanks • Mechanical transmission 4x2 (2WD) • Mechanical agitator and chemical mixer • Electrically controlled hydraulics • The cabin is equipped with dull gray glass, filter air conditioner, anatomic seat, including an extra seat for standby • Track width 2,10 meters • Anti freeze hydraulic oil • Mudgaurd • Computer controlled spraying * Controller of sections 8volts OTMIS * OTMIS Auto Pilot * Boom sensors * Quad nozzle holder (AGQ) Nozzle 1 - threaded side JA-2 Black Nozzle 2 - AXI O2 Yellow Nozzle 3 - JA-Red Nozzle 4 - AXI 04 Red

10

Wheels and suspension allow for higher operational speed and operator comfort thus improving daily productivity

ProAgri Zambia 19

Saro is the agent for world renowned Baldan equipment. The Saro team members are: Jabes Mbewe, Owen Mumwensi, Kangombe Lishandu and Simon Nyirongo.

O

ne of the most trusted agricultural partners exhibiting annually at the Agritech Show is the Zambian based Saro Group with its head office in Lusaka and four branches in the main agricultural growth regions around Livingstone, Mpongwe, Kitwe and Mkushi.

Calvin Salah, Marketing Manager, spoke to Du Preez de Villiers at their impressive stand with its wide variety of equipment.

“We believe that Agritech, as initiated by the National Zambian Farmers’ Union, is a very good event that will increase in importance every year to be the showcase event for agriculture in Zambia,” says Calvin.

He says there may have been fewer commercial farmers than last year, but they are still satisfied with the turnout and the interest in their products. Saro has a wide range of equipment for commercial, small-scale and emerging farmers, and with their long experience in the country, they know what the farmers need.

A good example of providing for the needs of farmers is the brand new “push along” type sprayer which they have developed with the help of agricultural engineer, Frank Nkonde. Calvin

says it was developed with particularly small-scale tomato farmers in mind.

The sprayer consists of a mounted motorised knapsack sprayer with a boom.

The boom can initially be used horizontally for herbicides for example, and as the plants grow, the boom can be used vertically for fungicides and pesticides.

Calvin says they only brought the prototype to the show to test the idea, but one farmer was so adamant to buy it, that “we just had to let it go!”

Another range of new products to look forward to, is Suzuki motorcycles, in addition to their current range of Jialings. Calvin says the Suzuki motorcycles are intended for their upmarket clients who want a well established brand name and quality.

From small-scale to large commercial Calvin says that they are always extending their product range, and presently they are concentrating on the promotion of drip irrigation systems, also amongst small-scale farmers.

He says: “There is a lot of involvement in projects for small-scale farmers in horticulture, because there is

Agritech Show

Farmers: Saro provides what you need

a government initiative to encourage local supermarket chains to keep more locally produced vegetables and fruit on their shelves. The people who are generally going to grow these products are the small-scale guys and this is why we are looking after them. We see a big future in this sector.”

This does not mean that Saro is forgetting their commercial farmers.

At Agritech they also focused on their extensive range of Baldan soil cultivation equipment – a trusted name in agriculture.

Jabes Mbewe says farmers in Zambia prefer Baldan products. You will find that most farmers have some Baldan products: ploughs, disc harrows, planters or seeders. “They are excellent products,” he says.

Baldan is a Brazilian company, but because Saro has such a long relationship with them, most of the wearing parts are kept locally. “We have them in stock, and in the unlikely event of an unavailable part, we shall order it and it should arrive very soon.”

Also, there is no shortage of technical know-how at Saro, with five well trained technicians at Head Office and one at every branch.

Calvin says they are very optimistic about the season: “Seeing that we had such a good rainy season in Southern Africa, we wish our farmers every success and we hope that afterwards, when the crops are being harvested, they remember to visit us for quality products at competitive prices!”

Frank Nkonde and Calvin Salah from Saro demonstrate the brand new locally developed “push along” sprayer that will especially aid small-scale tomato growers.

Saro showcased their wide range of equipment at Agritech.

ProAgri Zambia 19

11

Agritech Show

Buhler innovates for better food W

ithout the secondary industry, primary farming is pointless. The raw materials have to be turned into something that the consumer can use, whether it may be cigarettes from tobacco, wool and cotton into clothing, hops into beer, or carcasses into neat meat cuts, we need our processors.

Buhler is a Swiss company with a worldwide footprint in the manufacturing of processing equipment for a variety of industries. They focus on the distribution of food processing equipment in Zambia. Anything from grain handling, milling, feed mixing, extrusion, cleaning, to drying and roasting is their forte. “Farmers in Zambia especially have problems with the moisture content and the ensuing limited harvest window for soy beans, which often need to be dried to ensure an A grading,” Peet Oosthuizen, Manager of Buhler Zambia, says.

“We prefer not to only sell a machine. We would rather offer solutions and can take control of turnkey projects. After giving our civil specs to the construction company, we will supply, install and commission a plant. A client can pick and choose from our various machines on our user friendly website and print out his own quotation before submitting it to our sales consultants,” Peet says. As proof of their successes, Buhler can show three milling plants, which are still running perfectly after more than 24 years, in Zambia.

In order to assist clients quicker and better, Buhler started to stock parts in Lusaka. “The money a miller loses during down time is much more than the cost of any part he needs. Therefore, we want to assist the client quicker and better. He can walk into our office to buy parts, or receive it within 48 hours. Last year we invoiced K8 million locally, which excludes the parts

by Du Preez de Villiers Buhler chose to display a grain screener/cleaner with a few of their smaller machines which are very popular in Zambia on their stand at Agritech.

“The people have to touch and feel them to understand how they work,” says Peet Oosthuizen, Manager, Buhler Zambia. Saghi Mohamadi, Anthony Mutwiri and Peet were the Buhler stand crew. ordered from Johannesburg,” he says.

Buhler recently opened a service station for after sales support in Lusaka, and the milling industry is very pleased with this. “The big challenge for millers is that they have to export their rollers due for refurbishment. If they are not returned within a certain time, there are border tax issues involved. Currently, we have a day shift from early until late and during the weekends to refurbish all the rollers in Zambia. We complete between 60 and 70 rollers a month. That is not only Buhler rollers, we do all the other brands as well. We adapted our machines to accommodate all the different roller sizes,” Peet says.

Buhler choose to walk the long road with their clients. Somewhere in

the world there is a Buhler technical specialist on the line 24 hours a day, where a client can ask for assistance, whether it is a software or hardware problem.

An exciting new project on the horizon is for the coffee industry. ”We are currently negotiating with a potential client who wants a colour sorter to spot and blow out the coloured beans,” says Peet.

Buhler can help you streamline your plant. Contact Peet Oosthuizen at +26-097-139-7212 or +27-82-4989921, send and e-mail to peet.oosthuizen@buhlergroup.com, or visit their state-of-the-art website at www.buhlergroup.com.

Saghi Mohamadi, Anthony Mutwiri and Peet Oosthuizen with a variety of smaller machines exhibited in their stand.

12

ProAgri Zambia 19

Africa's next generation of management

by Du Preez de Villiers

Some of the Pre Secure team members at Agritech.

Whenever there are hundreds of people together in one place, safety is a concern. At the Agritech Show the organisers could rest assure – the safety of all involved were for the 5th consecutive year in the safe hands of Pre Secure.

Y

ou will not find many security companies where the two top managers are working side by side in the dust with their guards to control a car park for over 5 000 visitors, however this is exactly what we found when we turned up at the Agritech show in Chisamba.

Pre Secure security has a rich history in Zambia and has been operating since 1972. As they celebrate their 45th year, it’s clear to see that this well established company is being steered to new heights by an enthusiastic, new, young management team.

I catch up with Josh, General Manager, as he does a kit inspection of one of his guards prior to deployment.

“Getting to know the business as best as possible from top to bottom is key for me,” he tells me.

“Security is a very labor intensive industry and getting to grips with the men and women on the ground is vital when it comes to shaping the future

ProAgri Zambia 19

of the company. We do lots of events throughout Lusaka and by making sure I understand what issues we face on the ground helps us to continuously improve when planning the next.”

After studying in the UK, Josh worked in security in Zimbabwe before being appointed to take the reigns at Pre Secure in Lusaka.

“I’m trying to build a company that all our employees can be proud of. The welfare of the guys is important to me, especially in an industry where there is traditionally a distrust of management. I wouldn’t ask anything of them I wouldn’t do myself and its important for me that they understand that.

I make sure their pay is processed before that of management, we run ‘guard of the month’ awards and make sure they are all able to submit suggestions or complaints directly to me.

With nearly 1 500 guards, it is a lot to go through and we can’t please every guard, but I have noticed a substantial difference in their attitudes now they realise the people at the top are listening.”

I left Josh to finish his checks and found George by his armed response vehicle directing traffic towards the far end of the field. George came out from the UK to run the alarms, response and technical department of the company.

“Being in the thick of it at events like

Services provided by Pre Secure: • Guards • Alarms • CCTV cameras • Access control Contact Josh Mallon at +260-960344-356, send an email to info@presecure.co.zm or visit www.presecure.co.zm to find out more about the solutions they offer.

13

Agritech Show

Pre Secure Security

this helps us understand what kind of service we actually deliver to our customers. It is very easy to talk about quality, anyone can do that. Delivering this quality is where the trick really lies. No amount of marketing will overcome a fundamentally bad service.

“I think this is where a lot of companies have fallen short in Zambia. Even those organisations whose management have been able to capture the key measurables of their business, often forget that stats only give you half the picture of what is going on at ground level. The leaders of labour intensive and client facing Zambian business need to put themselves in the position of the client to see exactly what it would be like to be on the receiving end of their service.”

He continues: “As a manager with the responsibility to change, implement and enforce procedures, you sometimes need to put yourself in the position of a recruit to figure out how he works, how you can best improve his working conditions and how you can get the most out of him. Most of the time this boils down to clear direction and site instructions.”

We take a break for a drink and a quick photo opportunity. What is clear from talking to Josh and George is that Pre Secure is taking a fresh approach in an industry that has become pretty stagnant in terms of adopting new techniques and ways of working. It seems to be working for them. Business has been strong throughout 2017 and with lots of new prospects on the horizon, this trend looks set to continue. I would recommend to other business leaders in Zambia to watch this company and what they are managing to achieve.

For me, it’s refreshing to see a company who are following through their promises and commitments with enthusiasm.

Agritech Show

Agrico helps farmers to make the most of water

by Benine Cronjé

Zambia has a very short rain season, therefore farmers need a reliable supplier such as Agrico for all their irrigation needs. Agrico is a South African company with an abundance of knowledge and experience in irrigation and water application. In 2016, Agrico saw the need for a dependable irrigation supplier in Zambia and opened up a fully-fledged branch in Lusaka.

Hanre Wiese, Operations Manager of Agrico Zambia; Alfred Andrag, Marketing Director of Agrico SA and Charity Tembo at the Agrico stand at the Agritech Expo.

“W

Agrico has been involved in Zambia through agents for many years before they opened the branch. “We decided to open it because of our expansion in Zambia. The scale just got too big for an agent. Now Zambian farmers have the same advantage as farmers in South Africa. They do business directly with the manufacturer. It provides the customer with even better quality, service and price benefits,” says Alfred.

Agrico’s irrigation systems are their strongest and most important product. According to Hanre Wiese, Operations Manager at Agrico Zambia, there numerous Agrico pivots in Zambia, but the number more than doubled over the past two years. “The interest is definitely there with almost weekly enquiries about pivots.”

Agrico does not only specialise in irrigation but also in implements. “All our products are tried, tested and proven. We have sold 17 tractors in Zambia, and they perform very well in the country. We are currently investigating possibilities to further improve our service. Our market penetration increased in the north,” adds Alfred.

Agrico was one of the prominent exhibitors at the Agritech Expo and enquiries were received even after the show. “It is Alfred Andrag shows one of Agrico’s most clear that many commercial and valuable products, their irrigation pivots.

e plan to expand in Zambia according to the demand.

Watch this space,” says Alfred Andrag, Marketing Director of Agrico SA.

14

emerging farmers attended the show, and we are very thankful for this, for it is very encouraging. Farmers wanted to know about our irrigation systems and we even sold two track filler implements,” says Alfred.

Hanre also adds: “Rubbing shoulders on a public platform with clients and potential clients is very important.

Clients like to put a face and a name together and that is what the Expo achieves. Many small-scale farmers contacted me after the show about drip and removable irrigation systems, as well as pivots.”

According to Alfred, taking a stand at the Agritech Expo may be expensive, but it is a sound investment. “We shall go again next year, because of the favourable reactions and feedback received from farmers.”

Agrico’s current projects in Zambia Mansa Sugar is a sugar cane scheme in the Luapula province, on the Luapula River close to the town, Chembe, and they only use Agrico’s irrigation systems.

“Agrico has three pivots there (65, 65 and 75 hectares), three more that are presently being erected (75, 75 and 65), and a next phase of 12 pivots (80 and 85 hectares) for a total of almost 1 500 hectares,” says Hanre.

The other big project using Agrico’s irrigation, is Northern Coffee Corporation. They are one of the biggest commercial coffee producing farms in Southern Africa, if not the greatest.

They have 12 Agrico pivots at the moment, with a next phase that is soon going to start with Agrico. “The project includes pivots from 28 hectares to 80 hectares, in total of almost 500 hectares,” says Hanre.

An Agrico pivot system guarantees stability and profits. Contact Alfred Andrag at +27 82-8241214 or +27 21-950-4111 or send him an e-mail to alfred.andrag@agrico.co.za.

ProAgri Zambia 19

The team members introducing the whole range of quality KSB equipment at Agritech: Andreas Gremels, David Jones, Alfred Jacobsen, Sven Baumgarten, Moses Shebele, Basil Hillier and Fanus Terblans were ready to assist interested and enquiring farmers at the KSB stand.

Z

ambian farmers can now also enjoy local representation of the global KSB Pumps Company. KSB has opened its Zambian head office in Kitwe in January 2017, and also recently another branch in Lusaka. They used the Agritech Show to launch their range of pumps and pump related equipment in the country. Alfred Jacobsen, Managing Director of KSB Zambia, spoke to Du Preez de Villiers at Agritech.

“I have approached KSB almost two years ago, because I could see the need in the agricultural sector for direct access to excellent, reliable pumps,” says Alfred.

With a manufacturing facility in Johannesburg and two outlets in Zambia, farmers can now be assured of quick, reliable service to accompany their reliable pumping equipment.

Moses Shebele at the Etanorm, setting the norm in centrifugal pumps world wide.

ProAgri Zambia 19

The KSB Group is one of the leading producers of pumps, valves and related systems. Annual sales revenue is almost 2 300 million euros. KSB has more than 30 manufacturing sites in 19 countries. At each of them, the pumps and valves are manufactured to international quality standards. The pump range covers a vast spectrum - from domestic rainwater utilisation systems to process pumps or power station boiler feed units. Valves come in a variety of designs, sizes and materials for a whole spread of applications.

At Agritech the focus was, of course, on agricultural applications and to create awareness of the whole range, especially the flagship Etanorm range, as well as Etabloc, horizontal split cases and multi stage pumps.

The Eta pump is a classic that has proved to be successful over decades and has been a constant focus of optimisation for KSB. It also represents the globe’s most popular family of standardised water pumps – 1,5 million of them are in use worldwide. This is all the more remarkable when one considers that every Eta is manufactured to specific customer requirements.

Eta pumps are energy efficient, versatile and easy to maintain. In addition, every Eta built by KSB is fitted with an impeller that is trimmed exactly to the optimum operating point.

Alfred says the Etanorm is duty specific. There is a pump in the Eta family that will cover virtually everything in the agri field with water flow from as little as 3 to 4 m per hour to 18 000 m3.

The pumps can also be supplied in complete sets with all the peripherals such as an electric motor, guards,

His Honourable President Edgar Lungu visits the KSB stand at Agritech to welcome the new KSB company in Zambia. coupling systems and pump metres. A pump metre will show a farmer exactly how efficient his pump is working in terms of pressure, flow and power use.

With variable drive technology, farmers have much better control of their power and water consumption nowadays, says Alfred. KSB in Zambia will also work closely with the large irrigation companies in the country to provide a complete water supply service to farmers.

KSB Pumps will supply the right pump for your farm. Contact Alfred Jacobsen at +260 96-278-1644 or alf@ksbzambia.com or call the office at +26 21-225-1461.

15

Agritech Show

KSB pumping away in Zambia

16

ProAgri Zambia 19

Agritech Show

Omnia offers support to make farming profitable

by Benine Cronjé

Omnia actively pursues the science of growing all over the globe, but also in Zambia. The quest for growth and support to farmers were the reasons for Omnia’s presence at the recent Agritech Expo.

“S

ome of the days were better than others, but in general the Agritech Expo attracted many people.

We had a lot of enquiries at our stand,” says Kobus Smith, Marketing Director of Omnia in Zambia.

Omnia in Zambia Omnia is operating two divisions in Zambia: Omnia Fertilizers Zambia Limited that concentrates on the commercial big-scale farmers; and Omnia Small Scale that renders services and agricultural inputs to small-scale and emerging farmers.

Omnia is also expanding strongly in their retail Cash and Carry outlets. In the Cash and Carry shops they stock Omnia’s granular, water-soluble and foliar feeding fertilisers, seed, agrochemicals and animal feeds. They are even planning to supply day old chicks in the retail shops in collaboration with a chicken producer. “It is quite an exciting project,” Kobus says.

“We presently operate fifteen shops and we plan to expand it to 25 by the end of this year. We distribute all our products through the Omnia retail outlets. It is a whole new concept of marketing for us. Omnia is dedicated to accommodate commercial, smallscale and emerging farmers.

Cuan Smith, Agronomist; Obrian Mwanza, Assistant Agronomist; Gert van der Walt, Director Retail development; Phidelis Mubhwe, Assistant Agronomist, and Xander Pieterse from ProAgri at the Omnia stand at the recent Agritech Expo.

“The government underwrites the e-voucher system. Small-scale farmers contribute ZMW400 and government ZMW1 700 into the E-voucher scheme.

The farmer receives an e-voucher card to the value of ZMW2 100. The farmer can use this card to buy agricultural inputs from any agro dealer or Omnia Cash and Carry outlet of his choice.

The E-voucher scheme assists in solving the input financing problem in Zambia,” says Kobus.

Products to boost profits: Cuan Smith, Agronomist at Omnia, says the big new product they have recently introduced into Zambia is Rhizovator G1. "We are currently targeting commercial farmers as one needs specialised equipment to apply this liquid product into the soil.

“It is a product that you spray on the soil before planting, and it stimulates root growth and development.

It is a one stop solution all in one can and you do not need to mix or add any additional micro nutrients to your tank mix. Rhizovator G1 is a K-Humate based product.” K-Humate is a soil conditioner unlocking all fixed plant nutrients in the soil and therefore making them available for the plant.

More good news is that Omnia is working hard at upgrading and improving this product, and expects to introduce the latest version later this year.

Omnia’s chemical granulated compounds are world class products. Omnia is currently the only producer of chemical granulated comOmnia’s stand at the Agritech Expo was pounds in the sub-Saharan manned by Phidelis Mubhwe, Obrian Mwanza region,” says Cuan. “We also and Reuben Mushawati, all Assistant Agronodo precision smart sampling, mists, Gert van der Walt, Director of Omnia where we take a sample on Retail in Zambia, Kobus Smith, Marketing every hectare and then we Director, and Cuan Smith, Agronomist.

ProAgri Zambia 19

compile chemical maps for the farmer.

He can then identify areas with low nutrient levels and rectify those areas.

“The farmer can pinpoint the problem precisely, and we give him a precision recommendation based on the real situation. We can then produce a fertiliser blend for him, or we can recommend a specific product that is high in calcium, magnesium or potassium, or whatever element needed to rectify and balance his soil chemically. He then simply has to apply the product according to the precision recommendations.

The farmer saves money because he accurately applies nutrients as and where it’s needed,” adds Cuan.

Zambia also has a big market for liquid fertiliser. “It is something we are looking into, and we may include it in our product range in the future. If the farmers need it, we shall make a plan to provide it,” Cuan says.

“Omnia Zambia is currently sourcing its granulated compounds from our factory in Sasolburg, RSA. We are importing straight products like urea, ammonium sulphate, potassium chloride and potassium sulphate from our import facility in Beira, Mozambique.

We are also bulk-blending at our Beira facility, but we are currently investigating the viability of a production facility in Zambia.”

Omnia Group is currently the biggest employer of agronomists in Southern Africa and remains committed to their Nutriology approach: “The Science of Growing”. They believe in strong technical support (feet on the farm) and the provision of world class quality products.

For more information contact Kobus Smith at 00260-966-764351 or send an e-mail to ksmith@omnia.co.za.

17

Agritech Show

not lag behind with quieter cabins, touch-screen display audios, cruise control, more supportive seats and poweroperated windows, mirrors and door locks.

When you drive around in Lusaka and it looks like every second vehicle you see is a Toyota... you are right!

Zambia drives Toyota: Don’t stay behind!

N

enad Predrevac, National Sales & Marketing Manager of Toyota Zambia, told ProAgri’s Du Preez de Villiers at Agritech that Toyota’s market share in new vehicles is 45%, and 60% of all vehicles sold are from the Toyota family.

Toyota has been in Zambia for more than 50 years, since 1963. Toyota Zambia is an official distributor and dealer for Toyota vehicles and provides after sales support with genuine Toyota parts and quality service. Their branches are in Lusaka, Kitwe and Livingstone.

Nenad said their presence at Agritech gave them a unique opportunity to talk to customers and explain their products and solution driven packages regarding financing to them. He said: “We had so many visitors and enquiries, it was definitely worthwhile.”

Hilux: the popular choice Hilux remains the most popular Toyota brand in Zambia, and at Agritech many people used the opportunity to meet the new Hilux model.

“For many it was the first chance they had to see, touch and feel the new Hilux, and also to test drive it off-road,” said Nenad.

Toyota Zambia has the new Hilux in all the models in single cab, extra cab or double cab. It is regarded as the toughest Hilux ever. Almost every aspect of the eighth-generation Hilux has been strengthened, including a thicker frame, stiffer body, advanced six-speed transmission, beefed-up suspension and brakes, and expanded off-road ability.

More than a million kilometres of testing in a wide variety of conditions

18

Nenad Predrevac, National Sales & Marketing Manager of Toyota Zambia, between the brand new Hilux and the ever popular farm worker, a Land Cruiser.

Toyota Added Value

For every brand new vehicle you buy from Toyota, we shall gift you with a K5, 000.00 free Fuel Card, a full tank of fuel in your vehicle as well as registration of the vehicle which includes two quarters free road tax. Toyota vehicles come with warranty of 3 years or 100,000 kms (whichever comes first). Feel free to walk into our showroom for many more amazing Offers. across the continents went into this model. The new under-body protection package, fitted to all 4x4 and Hi-Rider models, is larger and thicker to deflect sticks and rocks to protect vital mechanical and fuel system components.

New safety features include increased mechanical grip and stopping performance achieved through the new suspension and brake package, and seven airbags for safety. Comfort did

Hino for dependable transport Another Toyota product doing quite well in Zambia is Hino.

Toyota Zambia currently sells and services Hino trucks from the Nangwenya dealership in Lusaka and Copperbelt Toyota in Kitwe.

Both facilities are equipped with state of the art equipment, and staff are regularly trained to stay abreast of the latest technical developments.

Hino offers a range of vehicles from a 2-tonne payload truck right up to a 6x4 truck/tractor capable of transporting 30 tonne loads.

Hino 300 and Hino 500 trucks are available and certain models have been specifically selected to ensure that they meet the harsh operating conditions of Africa.

Toyota Zambia offers free driver training to all their Hino customers. To date close to 100 drivers participated and feedback from customers is very positive.

They are particularly pleased with the fact that this training gave rise to fewer breakdowns and meaningful fuel savings. An annual driver competition is also held to find the best Hino driver in Zambia.

Used vehicles Toyota Zambia offers great deals on used vehicles.

Farmers can also take advantage of buying a used vehicle guaranteed for quality at the best price. All Toyota vehicles have a 100 000 km or 3 years vehicle warranty from the first date of registration, whichever comes first.

Other models and services A wide range of passenger cars are available, although this market only constitutes 8% of Toyota sales in Zambia, says Nenad. The taxi market is very active and Toyota Zambia can assist in all aspects of fleet management for companies.

To set your wheels rolling, send an e-mail to NenadP@toyotazambia.co.zm.

Also visit www.toyotazambia. co.zm to see the range of vehicles available.

ProAgri Zambia 19

Agritech Show

Besides their warehouses, BHBW works closely with stakeholders like the AGCO future farm outside Lusaka, where a state of the art learning facility is established. This institution utilises world class technological aides to transfer world class knowledge to dealer staff, technicians and emerging farmers.

Jupidex on board BHBW recently made a deal with Jupidex in South Africa to supply and support Kverneland, Alpler, McHale, Wolagri, AgriSpread, Vicon

by Du Preez de Villiers and Celikel implements.

Craig Ivins was recently appointed as the Export Manager: Africa for Jupidex and he attended Agritech to introduce their well-known products to the Zambian farmers.

“Our plan of action is to The BHBW stand at Agritech was a spectacular combination of the wide variety of work with the bigger dealers brands and products they supply and support. like BHBW in Zambia because they already have a distribucovers an engine size range from 34 he needs of the farmer are the first tion structure and that makes it easier kW to 276 kW. They also offer convenconsideration in all the activities of to supply our implements. We prefer tional, no-till and widespan planters the internationally renowned comto gain a footprint in countries with a and haymaking equipment. Chalpany, BHBW. BHBW is a prime agricullarge presence of commercial farmlenger’s tracked tractors are favoured tural supplier of superb machines, and ers, but we also supply a wide variety amongst the bigger farmers, with a agents for big brands such as AGCO, of implements for small and emerging 260 kW to 391 kW engine range, and (Massey Ferguson and Challenger), farmers. This makes our investment they also offer combine harvesters Hyster, Utilev, Hardi and Yamaha. worthwhile and that is why we spend and self-propelled sprayers. BHBW Two years ago, BHBW first set foot lots of time and money in Zambia,” also supplies a wide variety of other in Zambia and with agriculture as their Craig says. implements like rippers, disc harrows, main business focus, they manage to Jupidex has a big training facility ploughs and trailers. cover this very diverse sector, from in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, Material handling is gaining momensmall-scale to emerging and commerSouth Africa, to support their dealers tum in Zambia and BHBW supports the cial farming. In Lusaka they established all over Africa.

Hyster lift trucks with capacities up to a 4 000 m² warehouse, workshop and “Finally, whenever farmers express 52 tonnes and a wide variety of forkparts department where they carry a need for an implement, we shall lifts and other warehouse equipment. spare parts for all the equipment they procure the desired machine for them,” For the lighter duty needs, UTILEV will support. Trained technicians with three Barry says. provide the forklift you need. mobile support units are standing ready Barry Hutchinson, Regional Manager to go out to wherever there is a need. for BHBW Southern Zambia, was very Their Massey Ferguson tractor range impressed with the Agritech Expo.

“We had a bit of rain before the show while we were building our stand, but that only settled the dust. During the show we had perfect sunny weather.

The show is expensive, but it is getting bigger and bigger and the turn-out and interest in our products were quite extraordinary,” he says.

They displayed twenty tractors, a combine harvester and 25 implements from small to large scale applications.

The robust Hardi Crop Protection We also have three Hyster forklifts; a drawn sprayers are a very popular 5, 3,5 and a 2,5 tonne. range in the BHBW stall.

BHBW is also in the process of establishing a fully-fledged dealerBarry Hutchinson and Chinso ship in Mkushi, where they bought two Barry Hutchinson: BHBW Regional Chipopola are ready to assist any hectares of land to support all their Manager for Southern Zambia, and farmer. Call them at +26 (0)96activities for the northern region. AlexCraig Ivins: Export Manager: Africa 802-2320 or +26 (0)96-940-7424 ander Fircks is the Regional Manager in for Jupidex, can’t wait to demonor e-mail Northern Zambia and he is in charge of strate Kverneland soil cultivaBhutchinson@bhbw.co.za.

Ceniusthe 2TX Trailed this new development. tion implements from Jupidex.

offers

farming equipment to pick and choose

T

ProAgri Zambia 19

19

20 2 0

Pr Pro P ProAgri roA ro Ag Agr gri ZZam gr Zambia am amb a mb m bia ia 19 19

Agritech Show

by Du Preez de Villiers

FG Wilson generators:

Electricity without interruptions F

armers were impressed with InterAbove: Vernon de Bruyn, Director of state Generator Power Solutions’ Interstate Generators, which is the display of FG Wilson generators at agent for FG Wilson generators, at Agritech. “Our stand was close to the his Agritech stand. entrance and about a third of the people passed our exhibition,” Vernon de Bruyn, Director of Interstate Generange of optional features such as rator Power Solutions, said. “The show sound attenuated enclosures, upgrades was very well organised and visitors to CE certification, a wide variety of showed lots of interest in our progenerator set controls, synchroniducts. People from all over the country sing panels, additional alarms and stopped to enquire about or products – shutdowns and a selection of exhaust Solwezi, Lusaka, Kitwe, Livingstone…” silencers for different noise levels.

FG Wilson is a well-known and very “The farmer can buy directly from The P110-3 kVa generator is built popular generator brand all over the us and we supply all the parts,” Vernon with a Perkins engine and a Marelli world and part of the Caterpillar and says. “We also service the generaalternator.

Perkins group. Vernon recently tors to maintain the warranty. opened a generator showroom You have to buy genuine FG in Alick Nkhata Road in Lusaka.

Wilson parts, but our filters “Farmers may visit us and find out cost even less than some of more about our generators in the your big brand filters, and they same way that you may look at are always available. Likewise, cars in a showroom.” our generators are also sold at At Agritech, Vernon displayed very competitive prices. Since two generators: a 22 kVa and 110 Caterpillar, Perkins and kVa. “Both of them have sound FG Wilson is one company, the proof canopies with sound attenufarmer may rest assured that ators. On a 110 kVa we look at 70 his FG Wilson generator is the decibels at 7 metres. The smaller best quality that money can units are even quieter at 60 to 64 buy. It is not some offshoot decibels 7 meters away, and they from established brands.” are completely weatherproof,” Vernon says.

All FG Wilson generators are Entrench yourself against equipped with changeover switchthe next power outage by es, which means that a farmer calling Interstate Generator needn’t guard or even touch the Power Solutions generator. It automatically starts Vernon de Bruyn and Xander Pieterse from at tel: 00260-97-6400409 or stops as the Zesco-power ProAgri at the 22 kVa generator which is equipped or send an e-mail to: comes on or off. with an alternator built by Leroy Somer and an vernonb@fgwilsonafrica.com FG Wilson also offers a wide automatic changeover switch system.

ProAgri Zambia 19

21

Agritech Show

FNB wants to help you

by Du Preez de Villiers

Cheyo Mwenechanya, Justin Chicheleko, Choolwe Chiyala, Steven Mutanuka, Chansa Kasuba, John Jaysen Mabingo and Muteto Nyika were ready to reply to any farmer’s questions on financing and financial matters at the FNB stand at Agritech.

S

pending huge amounts of money on farming equipment is no laughing matter. When financing is involved, farmers are forced to look at every transaction from all possible angles.

Banks have no other option but to listen to farmers’ needs and to adapt continuously in order to stay in the game. Healthy competition to the benefit of clients is ensured by the fact that Zambia has a fair number of competitive banks.

FNB Zambia is well placed in the farming market and builds on the successful procedures and strategies of their mother company in South Africa, which has been in the game for a very long time.

FNB’s inviting stand at Agritech Expo, with the well-known turquoise corporate colours and their even more inviting slogan - How can we help you?, and a professional catering service with free food was a perfect stopping

The neat display at the FNB stand shows the pamphlets explaining every product that FNB offers to farmers.

22

point for farmers in their quest for the perfect finance solution.

“We’ve rolled out new permanent solution strategies to help farmers with their day to day banking needs. We are currently emphasising e-channels and have various products to aid the farmer, like cell phone banking, online banking and many other platforms they can use to facilitate their payments at their convenience,” Cheyo Mwenechanya, FNB’s Senior Manager Agribusiness, says.

“We know that farmers prefer not to spend their time in the office. A farmer would rather be on his combine, tractor or in his pick-up, working. They need to do their banking business on the go and these platforms enable them to make payments conveniently. Our products on cell phone banking, such as e-wallet, enable farmers to make payments to their farm workers, suppliers and even to the tax man.

FNB works closely with the Central Bank which is the banking regulator, to align themselves with the correct requirements. “We have recently managed to negotiate the maximum payments on cheques up to K25 000,” Cheyo says.

But with all these new developments, FNB is still continuing with their earlier value products that farmers have learned to depend on. The products that cater for working capital, term loans, business development loans, asset finance for equipment purchases and all the various needs a farmer may have, are still ready to be utilised.

“We have a presence in all agricultural areas across the country, and we have a dedicated sales and support team that is willing to help and advice the farmer in terms of farming solutions. We are still aggressive and still moving forward. We know that farming has its cycles of lows and highs with difficulties such as droughts and fluctuating commodity prices, therefore we are always ready to talk with farmers to see how we can provide solutions to ease their cash flow situations. We shall continue with our valuable philosophy of “How can we help you?” he says.

Cheyo and his colleagues are ready to answer all your financing questions. Call them on +26 (0) 21-136-6849 or send Cheyo and e-mail to cmwenechanya@fnbzambia.co.zm.

ProAgri Zambia 19

by Du Preez de Villiers

The Irritech team were on hand at the Agritech show to assist farmers on the best possible solution for their irrigation needs.

Lusaka we have a depot in Mkushi where a team of three personnel with a crane truck are based.

We have also recently opened a depot in the Stassen grocery store at the Chisamba roadblock.

The spares in the depots are guaranteed to cost the same as in Lusaka,” says Ross O’ Donoghue, Director of Zambia and co-owner of Irritech.

Irritech can boast with about 700 pivots in Zambia today. This constitutes about 50% of all the pivots in the country.

But the market has changed a lot. “Three years ago there were three irrigation companies exhibiting at Agritech and now there are eight,” says Ross. “The competition became very strong, but we feel that we still have the best product on the market and a superior servicing ability, and that is basically where sales stem from – after sales service. Pricing is becoming more and more com-

petitive. Farmers are now purchasing based on price, but good service comes at a cost,” he says.

Although the market is quiet at present, to date Irritech have sold a large number of pivots this year. They have already sold a number of pivots in 2017, but nowadays farmers are also approaching them for efficiency conversions on their existing systems. “We are convinced that we are leading the market in variable speed drives (VSD’s) in Zambia and we have approximately K2 million of VSD stock in Zambia and the technicians who can install and service them all.

For efficient energy and water usage, VSD’s are crucial. One of a farmer’s biggest expenses is Zesco power and as the price of electricity increases, farmers will spend more money on the enhancement of efficiency. We are cutting their bills by 30% to 40% with the same irrigation application, but with more efficient control of their motors,” Ross says.

“Zambia Irritech recently introduced dripper irrigation with microjets and to this end we employed an expert in micro irrigation, Edu Boettiger. He has been here for six months now and this side of our business is gaining momentum.”

W

ater is precious and should not be entrusted to anything but the very best irrigation equipment. That is why Franek Raciborski entered the irrigation industry 25 years ago as an agent for Valley, the manufacturer of more that 50% of the pivot irrigation systems in the world. Franek founded Irritech in South Africa as a distributer of Valley as well as drip irrigation systems.

Franek is still head of sales today.

20 years ago he boarded a train to Zambia and started selling irrigation systems locally. Three years later, Irritech Zambia was registered.

Irritech grew rapidly over the years and opened branches in Swaziland, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, the DRC and Rwanda, but their Zambian base is the largest one outside SouthAfrica.

“We have 53 staff members in Zambia, including three sales engineers. We recently moved into our new premises in Chilanga, just south of Lusaka. It entails a large store and service department with a backup workshop. For the farmers north of

ProAgri Zambia 19

Ross O’ Donoghue, Director and Coowner of Irritech, shows their state of the art Valley control panel which allows remote monitoring of irrigation systems through radio links to the Valley base station, which can be your smart device or a personal computer.

A group of farmers listen attentively while Edu Boettiger and Susan Phiri explains the operation of the drip irrigation system at the Irritech stand.

You too can reap the benefits of the ultimate irrigation systems in the world. Contact Ross O'Donoghue at +260 9712-52016 , or send an e-mail to ross@irritechsa.co.za.

23

Agritech Show

Irritech and Valley remain your irrigation solution

Agritech Show

Best stand at Agritech: Albida Agriculture

by Benine Cronje George Allison and Hussein Kalinda from Albida Agric, Mark Hutton, from Madumbi; Costa Mwenda from Albida Agric and Colin van Niekerk from Albida.

F

or inventive crop protection solutions look no further than Albida Agric, the agents for world renowned biocontrol companies such as Madumbi and Lallemand.

This innovative supplier of agricultural requisites won the award for the best stand at the Agritech Expo in Lusaka, Zambia.

ProAgri visited this stand to see what makes them stand out and to find out more about their products: Madumbi’s crop inputs and pest control Madumbi Sustainable Agriculture is a South African based agricultural input supplier that specialises in products for sustainable and organic agriculture.

After ten successful years in South Africa, they are now expanding to Zambia where they offer large-scale, commercial, small-scale and subsistence farmers in Africa with market leading nutritional support and disease

George Allison, the owner of Albida, with their inventive electric mountain bike.

24

and pest management products, all focussed on sustainability, less toxicity and reduced environmental impact.

They adjust their pack sizes to be more suitable for small-scale farmers, and they are focusing on tomatoes.

Products range from biological pest control for all pests to products for root disease control and plant nutrients,” says Colin van Niekerk.

An electric mountain bike for the farmer A farmer can now patrol his farm in silence, listening to the birds, while riding on an electric mountain bike.

“You can even carry your dog or wife with you if you want. The bike has a front fork suspension and suspension in the seat post. The battery will do about 40 miles on a single charge and reach a speed of 28 miles per hour with peddling. The battery will last about a five hundred cycles and has USB ports to charge your cell phone if you have a puncture far from home,” says George Allison, owner of Albida Agriculture.

“It has top quality gears and disc brakes, and it probably trades at about half the price offered by the competition.”

The Sumo subsoiler The Sumo subsoiler was developed

by Michael Osgerby, a farmer from the United Kingdom and Kenya. His

George Allison and Michael Osgerby at the Albida stand.

Michael Osgerby, a farmer from the UK and Kenya, with his welldesigned Sumo subsoiler. interests are soil management, solving problems and eradicating soil compaction.

“We assist large-scale, commercial and small-scale farmers in creating well-structured soil. Instead of using a conventional ripper and disc implements, we want to use a subsoiler leg.

We lift and press down the soil without turning it over. This practice helps to retain moisture. We then use a no-till planter,” Michael says.

According to Michael, soil penetration is easier and quicker with the Sumo subsoiler. “Then the roots grow quicker, faster and deeper.”

Some highlights from Madumbi’s range include: • Eco-Bb, is an entemopathogenic fungus called Beauveria bassiana. This fungus is well known for its ability to attack a wide range of crop pests including whitefly, red spider mite and Tuta absoluta.

• Eco-T, a soil inoculant based on the beneficial fungus Trichoderma asperellum (harzianum), is a fungus that forms a symbiotic relationship with plant roots.

• Rhizovital is a soil inoculant based on a beneficial bacterium, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.

• V12 Multi is a powerhouse nutrition product offering NPK and a full house of micro-nutrients formulated with plant growth promoting agents.

For more information about Albida’s bio-control products, mountain bikes, or the Sumo subsoilers for your farm, contact Colin van Niekerk at +260-969807298 or e-mail him at sales@albida-agriculture.com. If you are interested in any of Madumbi’s products or in learning more about sustainable agricultural practices, please visit the Madumbi website www.madumbi.co.za.

ProAgri Zambia 19

very time when we think the ultimate maize cultivar has been bred, a seed company launches a new, improved cultivar, enabling the farmer to continue with sustainable production. K2 Seed employs the best scientific breeding techniques available, and one of their breeding aims is to decrease the growing season of the maize plant.

“The cultivars displayed here at Agritech have already been available for three to four years, but we are very excited about our early maturing programme. Our current focus is on a series three and four cultivar. Zambia is already well supplied with the longer grower series like five, six, seven and the irrigation cultivars. What we have been lacking here, are the extra early maturing varieties,” Kevin Kleemann Wright, Country Director, Klein Karoo Seed Zambia, says.

In years when farmers have trouble with flooding or drought or an outbreak of pests such as fall army worm, the risks can be mitigated by a shorter maturing time. “What we’ve been working on is a cultivar that should mature in 96 to 100 days, which means that if we have a maize crisis in the country, we can plant a short grower in January which will be ready for harvest in April, Kevin says.

“Yes, the yields might be lower, but

Members of K2 Seed Zambia are very proud of their products and neat packaging material.

K2 Seed cuts risks with quick growing maize

by Du Preez de Villiers The K2 Seed Zambia stand at Agritech was well placed and a preferred visiting point for many farmers. the farmers will gain a crop, and that is what our breeding programme is concentrating on.”

National agricultural development in Zambia is crucial and this new maize

cultivar will be an excellent addition for farmers who are already drowning under expensive inputs, controlled grain prices and risks lurking around every corner.

Kevin Kleemann Wright shows off the KKS EXP 3/96, an extra early maturing cultivar for reducing risks with its drastically shorter growing time.

Jack Kalenga, Area Team Leader: Central Province, distributed literature on K2 Seed Zambia's wide variety of seed cultivars from vegetables to grain and grazing crops.

K2 Seed Zambia's wide variety of crops are standing lively and proud in the demonstration plots.

ProAgri Zambia 18

K2 Seed Zambia can kit out your game plan for the next maize planting season. Contact Kevin Kleemann Wright at +26 (0)97-776-2111 or +26 (0)21-184-0965 or e-mail kevin@seedmarketing.co.za 25

Agritech Show

E

Agritech Show

Pig farming for profit: Wangwa hogs Agritech Show

by Du Preez de Villiers

T

he first thing that visitors to the Agritech Show saw when they entered through the main gate, was a double storey crate with pigs. This was the Wangwa Farms stand. Wangwa Farms displayed a few of their best pig specimens to demonstrate their top genetics.

“We are very well placed compared to last year and visitors showed a lot of interest. The farmers loved to peek through the wooden structure to have a glimpse of our boar and sows,” Matilda Chindale, Gene Transfer Technician, says.

Wangwa Farms is well known for the semen and gilts they offer to Zambian farmers, big, medium and small. The farm is situated a few kilometres north of Chisamba and the owner, Peter Luyt, runs a magnificent operation, where he even controls his supply chain by mixing his own pig feed in a very strictly bio-controlled plant.

Wangwa Farms is the agent for PIC, the renowned and largest pig genetics distributer in the world. They are very strict on whom they choose as agents, therefore they conduct regular inspections and even have access to the records of every agent in the world.

Besides Zambia, Wangwa supplies the northern part of Sub Sahara Africa like Tanzania, the DRC, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Rwanda. Their closest other PIC agent is in South Africa.

Peter knows exactly what pig farmers need. He established a training facility next to the gene transfer centre where a farmer can buy an easily transportable insemination kit, and

The Wangwa team at their stand at Agritech were Kasamba Moonga, Trainee lab technician; Philip Mweemba, Sow house supervisor and Training technician and Matilda Chindale, Gene transfer technician. attend a course on how to perform this delicate task.

Peter also thought of an ingenious idea to utilise the tons of pig slurry produced by the thousands of pigs in his facility. Integrated in the piggery project is a tilapia dam next to the 500 sow project. Before every season, the pig slurry is fed into the dams – just enough to stimulate algae growth for a certain number of fish. By the time the

The slaughter males on Wangwa Farms are bred to produce top quality meat.

26

fingerlings are released into the dam, there is enough food to ensure growth for a profitable harvest after their nine month growing period.

For more information, contact Peter Luyt at +26 (0)96-685-1587 or Matilda Chindale at Wangwa’s piggery office at +26 (0)96-196-0816

Every sow on Wangwa Farms is guaranteed to be prime breeding stock and promises to deliver maximum profits.

ProAgri Zambia 19

Agritech Show

GNSS Guidance boosts productivity and reduces operator fatigue G

NSS guidance systems offer numerous benefits to farm operators including increased productivity, reduced operator fatigue, and more efficient operation. Whether you choose manual (light bar) or automatic (assisted steer) guidance, this technology can be used in a full range of field operations- tillage, spraying, fertilizing, seeding, and harvesting.

The Matrix® Pro GS guidance system from TeeJet Technologies offers a full-range of standard features and available upgrades to best suit your needs. Standard features include: full-colour, touchscreen display, field coverage mapping, data logging, and an integral GPS receiver with compact antenna. Available guidance modes include: Straight AB, Curved AB, Center Pivot, Last Pass and Next Row. Optional upgrades such as video monitoring, BoomPilot® automatic sprayer boom section control and UniPilot® Pro assisted steering can further enhance the performance and flexibility of the system.

The Matrix 430 The Matrix 430 is an easy-to-use and low cost GNSS guidance system.

The compact unit features a graphical, touchscreen user interface that allows for fast setup and intuitive operation.

The Matrix 430 uses a 110mm, highcontrast, full-color display for excellent visibility, even in bright light conditions.

The standard patch antenna provides proven performance in a very compact size, while the th RXA-30 antenna provid provides improved sign signal reception for mor more challenging conditi ditions such as hilly ter terrain or heavy tree cov cover. Other product fea features include: re return-to-point, cover erage mapping, field are area measurement, applied area alert, app ela elapsed time counter, sim simple job reporting, and a choice of guidance modes: four g

Matrix® Pro GS

Straight AB, Curved AB, Center Pivot, and Last Pass.

For those in need of a simple, lowcost guidance solution, the CenterLine® 220 is a great choice. This system requires minimal programming and setup by the operator. After installation in your vehicle, the operator simply enters in a swath width, chooses Straight AB or Curved AB guidance mode and begins operating. It is a field-proven, easy-to-use guidance system that has proven to be an excellent choice for many first time users.

CenterLine® 220

To locate your nearest distributor or learn more about TeeJet guidance products and our full line of spraying & precision farming products, please visit us at: www.teejet.com or e-mail us at: info.africa@teejet.com.

ProAgri Zambia 19

27

Agritech Show

Asphalia supplies Gallagher to make the farmer’s job easier U

nified commitment and mutual support between family members have proved to create a vast number of successful family businesses. Asphalia is on its way to become one of these success stories. Asphalia is the agent for Gallagher products, which is a world famous New-Zealand manufacturer of scales and electric fencing.

“Asphalia is three years old and still small, but we are building clientele and we are getting there. This is our second year at Agritech, and the interest shown by visitors to the Expo is very promising,” Mark Baillie, Director, says.

Grazing management in a kit “Our strip grazing kit for cattle, sheep and goats comes with a solar energiser and is also a complete plug and play unit. It is 500 metres long and allows a farmer to utilise an area of approximately 1,5 ha at a time,” Mark says.

All their energisers and wiring are UV treated and are guaranteed for one

and two years respectively. They are also able to service any Gallagher equipment a farmer bought from previous agents.

Asphalia is based in Lusaka and they are currently negotiating with outlets to expand their footprint.

Tess Baillie, Erin de Wet, Mathews Mwale, Troy de Wet, Roslyn Baillie and Bronwyn de Wet are members of the Asphalia team, ready to serve farmers to make their job easier.

Smart scales The Gallagher scale kit consists of load cells and indicators. There are 3 different lengths of load cells offered by Asphalia depending on the application, the 600 mm, 1 000 mm and the heavy duty beams which are 1 200 mm long.

The functions on the different indicator models vary from basic up to the TSI, which is a complete management system. “You can integrate the TSI with your herd management software programme and even access it on your smart device. It allows you to record

data like the birth weight and slaughter weight of the calf as well as the weight of the sire and dam. Alarms can be programmed to indicate any discrepancies in the animal’s weight compared to the norm. It can also be linked to crush gates to sort the animals,” Mark says.

Asphalia’s Gallagher equipment will make your work easier and increase efficiency. Contact Roslyn on +26 (0) 96-346-9217, +26 (0) 96-797-2355 or send an e-mail to info@asphalia.co.zm or roz@asphalia.co.zm. Also visit the website at www.gallagher.com.

Asphalia Systems Zambia Strip Grazing, Animal Management and Security Fencing.

Give us a call for all your requirements and free quotations

Phone: +260 963-469 217 / +260 967-972-355 Email: info@asphalia.co.zm / roz@asphalia.co.zm Website: www.gallagher.com

28

ProAgri Zambia 19

Agritech Show

Interesting facts:

ETG:

The backbone of farming in Zambia

by Annemarie Bremner

ETG is one of the world’s fastest growing agricultural commodity traders, and the largest role player in the fertiliser industry in Zambia. At their extensive stand at Agritech it was business as usual for staff and customers.

I

n the ETG tent on the Agritech terrain the seats were constantly filled to capacity with people hungry for information. ETG management used the opportunity to train their own staff members as well as the small-scale farmers flocking to the familiar ETG symbol.

“We invest heavily in our employees, because these are the people who represent ETG on grassroots level,” explains Rajendran Ganapathi, Managing Director.

This level of representation is very important to the company, because it sets them apart from all the rest. ETG’s footprint in Zambia takes them across all four main regions they have identified, to their depots in every major town and container shops in all the spots where small-scale farmers are active.

Rajendran says: “We value our distribution network as part of the core of our business. Farmers can find our products in their own communities, they do not even have to travel to town to get it.”

Every shop has also been provided with a point of sale machine.

This means that every farmer that is registered with the Ministry of Agriculture under the Farm Input Subsidy Programme can walk in with their E-Voucher visa cards, swipe for the products of their choice, collect their purchased items immediately and head back to their work with no delays.

With the wide range of products also comes information on how to use it, taking into account the different soil types and crops. Rogenden says they get down to the communities, gathering the local farmers together to explain to them how to use the crop production products and fertilisers to improve their yields and also how to handle everything safely.

ETG distributes products from Falcon, Zamfert and Kynoch. The company further specialises in blended fertilisers which incorporate nine vital nutrients for most soil types. Organic content is also added to its fertilisers to assist in restoring and maintaining micro-organism populations and

ETG is a one-stop shop for farmers, supplying all their farming inputs such as seeds, agro-chemicals, fertilisers and agronomic services, while purchasing their agricultural outputs.

ETG moves an approximate five million metric tonnes of agricultural commodities around the world and directly employs more than 7 000 people globally.

improving soil structure.

At Agritech, representatives of the company fully used the opportunity to interact with staff, clients and other companies.

Mbita Kabalika Mpongwe explains to prospective farmers how ETG can help them with production and also buy the surplus crop they produce.

In the ETG tent staff members as well as farmers could sharpen their skills with training provided by agronomists.

ETG had a strong team at Agritech. The company not only provides fertilisers, but also products needed for seedling production, such as coco fibre as growth medium.

ProAgri Zambia 19

For more information on ETG’s products and services, visit www.etgworld.com.

29

Haymaking solutions from

Make hay days heydays with Active Mow and Easy Cut range

G

ood quality hay plays a major role in any animal husbandry operation, but the production of hay is a specialist job. Therefore, the wise farmer uses only machinery that has been tried and tested to make the highest quality hay, thereby ensuring the viability of his farming operation.

Krone is internationally recognised as the innovative mower specialists.

They offer a comprehensive range of Active Disc mower and Easy Cut mower-conditioner equipment for every application. AFGRI has been supplying Rovic Leers equipment, including Krone, in Zambia for more than ten years and with the introduction of the Krone haymaking range, they are now able to offer their clients a full range of solutions for all their haymaking needs.

The Active range has options of 2 m, 2,4 m and 3 m disc mowers, while the Easy Cut range offers 3,14 m and 4 m trailed mower-conditioners.

ProAgri Zambia 19

Hay preservation: The round baler A farmer mer who includes haymaking in his farming ming operation depends ds on a number of factors to ensure e production of the finest hay with the he longest “best est before”” life for his livestock. ck.

When your hay has as reached ed the right moisture content and is ready for harvesting, you want to cut it quickly and neatly, and arrange it into tidy windrows for easy collection by the baler.

When the baling process starts, you need a baler with an easy flow pick-up without a cam track. This will

ultimately reduce wear and tear and lower your maintenance costs. The KRONE Easy Flow pickup system has feed augers on both sides, and a working width of 2,05 m to pick up every stem, even in corners and bends.

Rovic Leers is a dynamic South African company, founded in 1927, priding itself in the manufacture, import and distribution of premium quality tractor drawn and three point mounted farming equipment. Rovic Leers has a national market presence in South Africa & also has service points in Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and Botswana. Other countries like Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Kenya are currently being developed.

Amongst other leading brands, Rovic Leers is the sole supplier of Krone products, therefore, all Krone equipment can be sourced in Zambia through AFGRI Corporation Limited.

For more information on Krone, as well as all the other superb implements offered by Rovic Leers through AFGRI, please contact Katuna Sinyangwe at ks@afgri.com.zm or +26096-6778010. Website is www.afgri.co.za.

31

Irrigation Unlimited: Choose an irrigation system to fit your farm

by Annemarie Bremner

Dirk van Zuydam from Natal in the RSA says this Ocmis irrigator has now worked for more than a year without problems or downtime, and it has freed his hands for other important work on the farm.

Even the highest maize plants can be uniformly irrigated with the precipitation from the Ocmis impact sprinkler.

T

he most important party in the farming industry is the farmer, therefore his interests should always be placed first. This is the conviction of Irrigation Unlimited’s people.

Dirk van Zuydam from Weenen in the Natal Province of the RSA was looking for an irrigation solution suited to the needs of his farm and for which he would not need to adapt his farming practices. He found the solution in ProAgri, where farmers related how satisfied they were with Irrigation Unlimited’s Ocmis self-propelled irrigators.

Every farmer has different needs, says Dirk. Some farmers with extensive fields would be unwise not to use pivots, but Dirk himself needed something to irrigate his angular fields ProAgri Zambia 19

without wasting corners that cannot be reached by a pivot.

He says: “Land is expensive. I cannot afford wasted corners, neither can I make an alternative irrigation plan for every unreachable corner.”

Yet, the time was more than ripe to utilise labour and time more efficiently and to get rid of time wasting quick coupling systems that they have used up to now.

Dirk mainly grows potatoes, maize and dry beans, and his fields consist of blocks of various sizes between the irrigation canal, the road and the hills. Presently, he is laying a main water supply line to all his fields with a hydrant every 60 meters. This means that he will be able to move his Ocmis irrigators to any point, connect them

and irrigate without further ado.

He bought his first two Ocmis irrigators a year ago, and now he acquired a third one.

Dirk properly weighed all his options, and says a further reason why he decided against a pivot is that such a system is an expensive investment, often standing idly for three months of the year because he cannot plant anything in certain fields at certain times.

He also looked at the various self-propelled irrigators, and what impressed him most about the Ocmis, was the sturdy construction. A 100 mm diameter hose, 300 m long and filled with water is not slightly heavy – it is very heavy. The machine that reels in this hose must have a strong gearbox and must stand very firmly not to be toppled over.

Furthermore, all the settings are mechanical and easy to understand, and no electricity supply is necessary.

Everything works with water pressure, and the 5 bar delivered by the pump out of the canal is fully sufficient to propel everything and to irrigate even the highest growing maize properly.

Dirk uses an impact sprinkler with a 26 mm nozzle, and his machine is set to proceed at 14 meters per hour. In some fields the 300 meter hose with its sprinkler cart at the end is fully extended before commencing its calm, life-giving journey back to the reel.

On smaller fields, a shorter part of the hose is reeled out.

“This just goes to show how versatile and adaptable the machine is,” says Dirk.

Moving the Ocmis is really a one man operation. All you have to do, is to pull out a pin, lift the supports and then you can hitch the Ocmis and draw it to the next position.

Dirk could increase his production, because he can now plant fields that were too difficult to irrigate before.

Another benefit is that he could now use his tedious and time consuming quick couplers to permanently supply water to a new field.

“All this enabled me to apply my workforce more efficiently to perform other essential tasks on the farm without regular interruptions to go and move irrigation pipes,” he says.

The local dealer supplied the equipment, but Tobie van den Heever travelled to the farm from Pretoria to help set up the first two irrigators.

“With the third one, I did everything by myself, as it is in fact very simple,” Dirk says.

Call Tobie van den Heever of Irrigation Unlimited on +27 82658-6054 or +27 12-736-2121, or e-mail tobie@iunlimited.co.za for your customised irrigation solution. Also visit www.iunlimited.co.za for more information.

33

ETG Zambia presents Zambian Fertilizers brand of Veg Mix

R

ains have been good during the 2016/17 season. This means that most water points in our rural areas, where smallholder farmers are, will hold water for a long time.

After working hard during the rain fed crop production, farmers still have a Window of Opportunity for making money by growing vegetables. To support vegetable production, we have our Zambian Fertilizers brand of veg mix fertilisers, specially blended to support Vegetable fertiliser Veg Mix A Veg Mix B Veg Mix C Veg Top 24 Super Veg Feed Veg Top 32

N Nitrogen 10 12 10 16 19 21

any type of vegetable.

We now present to you our crop specific, organic enriched, lime enriched fertilisers to support you with your vegetable production this season.

Our Veg Mix is available in 5 kg, 10 kg, 25 kg and 50 kg packagings to suit every farmer’s needs.

All these products are available at all ETG depots throughout the country.

We are calling on all commercial farmers requiring specific blends of a tonne P Phosphorous 10 12 15 0 19 0

or more to contact us and we shall produce it for them. Non-governmental organisations working with smallholder farmers are welcome to link their farmers to ETG depots for vegetable mix fertilisers.

Zambian Fertilizer Sales’ Head Office can be contacted at Plot 5260 Mukwa Road – Industrial Area – Lusaka – 240375 / 240475 / 0977-770950 / 0977-777743

K Crops/remarks Organic Potassium % 20 Tomato, eggplant, okra, pumpkins, impwa 33% 12 Cabbage, rape, spinach, broccoli, leaf vegetables 36% 15 Onions, carrots, potatoes, tubers 32% 24 A top dressing for most vegetables 26% 19 Basal for commercially grown vegetables,esp.tomato 0% 32 Top for commercially grown vegetables, esp. tomato 0%

Hellen Kanyeu at ZamFert Packaging Section presenting a 5kg bag of Veg Mix A.

Masiye Shawa at ZamFert Packaging Section showing a 10 kg Veg mix B. 34

ProAgri Zambia 19

n

Agritech Show

s ProAgri Zambia acknowledges Grain SA for the use of this series which originally appeared in Afrikaans in SA Graan/Grain.

Part 16: Organic material in soil (iii) Martiens du Plessis, Soil Scientist, NWK Limited & Prof Cornie van Huyssteen, Lecturer: Soil Science, University of the Free State

Soil is the most fundamental resource for the farmer, without which food and natural fibre cannot be produced. This article forms part of a series to highlight this resource.

O

rganic material only makes up a small fraction of the soil and in the majority of the grain areas in South Africa, this fraction is exceptionally small (<1%). This article attempts to place in perspective the effect of organic material on the physical properties of soil in South Africa.

Levels of organic material Compared with the levels of organic humus in the wetter seed areas of the world, the humus levels of the typical arable land in South Africa are significantly lower. In world terms one would comfortably talk of organic carbon levels of 1% or 2% and as much as 10%.

In South Africa one seldom finds 1% and in most cases less than 0,5%.

The typical natural organic carbon levels of the arable land in the Free State, North West Province and Mpumalanga are 0,1% to 0,5%. In the majority of cases it represents less than 50% of the original (untilled) levels. Furthermore, the conditions for the breaking down and mineralisation of organic material in soil are very favourable because the largest parts of South Africa have a semi-arid climate, summer rainfall and warm summers.

The dry semi-arid climate restricts the growth of plants and therefore the production of organic material (compare South Africa’s 2 ton/ha – 4 ton/ ha maize production levels with the >8 ton/ha of the large maize regions in the USA). This also then explains the relatively low levels according to which the supplementation and breaking down of organic materials in South Africa reach equilibrium. In the wetter and cooler eastern areas in the country, one often finds higher humus levels. The effect of higher organic material levels, mentioned in textbooks, must be interpreted and applied with caution in South Africa.

Effect of organic material on physical properties of soil The science of organic material in soil was discussed in greater detail in the previous two articles. Consequently, this article focusses more on the effect of organic material on the physical properties of soil that apply to South African conditions.

After a shower of rain, sandy soil tends to slake (insufficient polysaccharides) and forms a soil surface crust. Pores get clogged by clay and silt, which hamper water infiltration and gas exchange. This causes the soil to be very susceptible to wind erosion.

ProAgri Zambia 19

Structure Soil structure refers to the natural aggregation (binding together) of individual soil particles to form larger secondary aggregates or clods. In clayey soils, the swelling and shrinking properties of the soil play a major role in forming aggregates and therefore clayey soils often have a crumb or

block structure. In apedal (structureless) soils, which are mainly sandy, these swelling and shrinking properties do not exist and the soil particles are separate to each other (sea sand, for example). Sandy soil is therefore typically susceptible to wind erosion and sometimes also water erosion.

The presence of organic material in soil serves as a source of nutrition for the micro-organisms and other larger invertebrates such as earthworms.

Some bacteria emit polysaccharides (long chain sugars) as a kind of water insoluble gum cocoon in which they live. This polysaccharide sticks together a collection of soil particles into a small stable clod (micro-aggregate).

This micro-aggregate is now water stable and too heavy to be blown away by wind and, as such, effectively controls wind erosion. Fungi play a similar role because the hypha bind the soil particles together.

The other side of the coin is the degradation of organic material and structure in the soil. The greatest cause of this are soil tillage systems in which soil is turned over and aerated so that the earth “lies beautifully red”.

Soil with few microbes and microaggregates now lies on top. The effect of this is that the organic material is worked into the aerated soil - thus excellent conditions for the soil microbes to mineralise this excess organic material rapidly (to break down into basic plant nutrition materials).

Soil users are aware of the fact that, for the first few years after the soil has been ploughed for the first time (virgin soils), the soil is very productive. As the organic material is mineralised and thus degrades, a point is reached where the release of mineral nutritional substances from the organic material is no longer enough to support crops productively. Together with this comes structure degradation.

After a shower of rain, sandy soils in particular are “quenched” (inadequate polysaccharides) and a crust forms on the soil surface. The soil is now extremely exposed to wind and water erosion. To eliminate this detrimental effect, the soil is now ploughed while wet so that temporary structure is formed through the mechanical action. These circumstances are now 35

An abundance of stover are produced under irrigation, which generates a very sufficient surface cover.

This benefits structure formation and slows down water run-off. favourable for further formation of soil degradation, namely compression (compaction).

The management of structure formation in sandy and other soils entails regular addition of organic material.

The ideal is that the organic material is left to lie on top of the soil so that, in time, it can build up an enriched layer in the shallow soil and on top.

Microbes then help with the formation of micro-structure units in the upper 2cm – 3 cm of the soil. Soil particles are stuck together and bound by hypha. The effect of the hypha may sometimes be seen with the naked eye when the uppermost crust is carefully lifted. One can then see grains of sand and micro-aggregates swinging around on the hypha. When the soil is tilled again (especially ploughed), all these benefits are destroyed. This therefore implies that the practice of spreading organic fertilisers such as cow or poultry dung and then ploughing it in so as to form a structure to reduce wind erosion, carries little value. (It has been said that a single tillage is sufficient to destroy four years of organic material accumulation!)

Water infiltration Water infiltration is defined as the movement of water through the soil surface into the soil, so that the water no longer lies on top of the soil surface or runs off. The addition of organic material to promote water infiltration is particularly significant and effective: soil with inadequate upper level structure “quenches” when rain falls on it.

The small pores through which the water must infiltrate the soil, are blocked by clay and silt in suspension. The result of this is that the water runs off and is lost to crop production.

The other side of the coin here, is as follows: soil with a stable surface ProAgri Zambia 19

structure has more and larger pores for water to infiltrate through. The aggregate is also stable and the pores are not blocked by clay or silt in suspension. A sign of this is that run-off water from the land is clean and not at all muddy. Also, a layer of plant waste on the land slows down water run-off, which offers the water greater opportunity to infiltrate. The practice of leaving organic material on top of the soil year after year in order to promote water infiltration has a sound agricultural foundation.

South African conditions are important in determining the quantities of plant material. To broadly spread 0,5 ton/ha or 1 ton/ha of organic material on the land and then plough it in, will not make any significant difference to water infiltration. About 4 ton/ha which is left to lie on top of the soil will only begin to make a difference, especially if done for two or three consecutive years.

Water retention ability Soil rich in humus is better than soil with low humus levels. The effect of this is insignificantly small because the organic material content of South African arable land is relatively low. The difference in the water retention ability between a piece of ground with 0,2% and 0,4% organic carbon, is so small that there is no difference for the soil user.

Drainage Drainage refers to the property of certain soil types to allow excess water to move through the soil profile to reach the plant roots. Such soil is described as a well-draining soil. An example of this is deep sandy soil. This property is mainly an inherent soil property and can only be improved at great cost with a drainage system. Organic material can do nothing to change this. Organic material can at best improve the structure of the profile so that water will move more rapidly through an already well-drained profile.

Evaporation The effect of plant waste on top of the soil is that the soil is shaded, thus lowering the soil temperature. This results in there being less energy available to convert the water to vapour. It also reduces the amount of air movement directly upon the soil surface which retains the evaporated water vapour in the soil, thus lowering the vapour pressure gradient and, in the process, also the evaporation. A layer of plant waste on top of the soil therefore extends the tempo of water loss. So, for example, a covered profile under a given set of climatic conditions could take five days to dry out to a depth of 100 mm, while the uncovered profile may dry out within two days.

The principle is, both pieces of ground are dried out and after both have dried out to a depth of 100 mm, further drying out is a function of cap-

illary supplementation from the deeper soil layers, which is a much slower process (much slower than the rate of evaporation). Thereafter, both pieces of ground will dry out to the same extent – with or without plant waste.

There is an evaporative benefit for the soil with the plant waste when it rains a bit every day. That is because the bare soil allows more water to evaporate every day before the next supplementation and cumulatively it could make a difference of a few millimetres of water. The question is, however, whether the annual evaporation losses under South African semi-arid conditions, are significant with or without harvest waste, given the average harvest returns achieved? It is probably so little that the soil user would not notice the difference in terms of an increased grain return. At planting time it does, however, make a difference because the planting conditions under a cover remain favourable for a day or two longer.

Soil temperature As mentioned above, plant waste provides shade for the soil and less solar energy reaches the soil, which lowers the soil temperature. Because organic material promotes structure formation, it will also lower heat conduction.

This is because there is less contact between soil particles, as the soil structure is less solid. On the other hand, humus makes the soil colour darker which will potentially absorb more solar energy, but if it is covered with plant waste, the soil will be cooler, despite the darker colour.

Summary Upon close inspection, the addition of organic material to soil has a number of advantages for the South African agriculturist in terms of the physical properties of soil. Of these, increased water infiltration and the combatting of wind and water erosion are the advantages with the greatest impact.

In fact it is the most effective and sustainable way in which to protect soil against erosion. The limitation of evaporative losses and management of soil temperature, are secondary advantages.

For further information, please contact the authors on: Martiens du Plessis: 072-285-5414 / martiens@nwk.co.za Prof Cornie van Huyssteen: 051-401 9247 /vanhuyssteencw@ufs.ac.za REFERENCES

Brady, NC. 1990. The nature and properties of soils. 10th ed. Macmillan publishing company, New York.

Soil type survey staff. 2007. Soil types of South Africa. ARC Institute for Soil, Climate and Water, Pretoria.

Van der Watt, HvH, van Rooyen, Theo H. 1990. A glossary of Soil Science. Soil Science Society of South Africa, Pretoria.

37

38

ProAgri Zambia 19

Christo Kloppers, Managing Director Gourock Agri Supplies LTD, Tel: +26 097 309 2271, Skype: christo.kloppers

GOUROCK AGRI SUPPLIES LTD

SERVICES OFFERED: • Tarpaulins • Grain Handling Equipment • Grain Storage equipment • Silo Complexes • Protective Clothing • Agricultural Crop Chemicals • Water Storage • Construction of Sheds

“Your partner in grain handling and storage” “Delivering the complete package for all your grain handling and storage needs” We thank you for taking the time to review our profile and look forward to building a lasting, mutually beneficial business relationship with your organisation

ProAgri Zambia 19

39

Titanium Motors unveils US$10m Volvo and UD Trucks factory

by Derrick Silimina

Left:Titanium Motors unveils latest Volvo and UD trucks at its showroom in Lusaka and (Right) Titanium Motors owner Farook Bharuchi welcomes Commerce Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe to a special gala held in Lusaka on 20th May, 2017

T

itanium Motors Zambia Limited has officially launched its first ever in Africa, US$10 million Volvo and UD trucks factory.

Speaking during a special gala celebration recently, Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe said government will continue to work with investors who are ready to invest in the country and will continue rendering support towards such kind of investments.

“I am reliably informed that this is the first ever multiband Volvo and UD dealership in Zambia and that Titanium Motors has invested more than US$10 million to construct this facility. In this regard, I wish to thank Titanium Motors for choosing Zambia as their investment destination,” Mrs Mwanakatwe said.

“You will agree with me that movement of goods and services is essential in every economy. Therefore, Titanium motors have come at a time when the Zambian transporters are in need of ac-

cessing Volvo and UD trucks locally. It is also worth noting that the provision of service parts and actual servicing of the trucks will ease the challenges of servicing and also save time for the transporters.”

Speaking at the same event, Volvo trucks President Claes Nilsson stated that his company will offer trucks that are safe and of the latest technology adding that Zambia is strategically located for such an investment in Africa.

“We believe in this part of Africa and we believe that there is a very interesting and exciting future moving forward with Volvo trucks which can contribute its products that always has the latest technology and has been built to fit into this market with the roads and the type of transportation taking place in this country,” Mr. Nilsson said.

“We can also contribute with safety.

I know that safety is very important for our customers and every citizen in this country. We are known to have the

safest trucks of all brands in terms of protecting the driver from any damage when there is an accident. But what is happening right now is that there is very exciting technology in our trucks aiming to avoid accidents and here we have started on a very exciting journey.”

UD trucks Managing Director Gert Swanepoel stated that the partnership of Volvo and UD trucks in a fully fledged state-of-the-art facility are a great milestone in the motor vehicle history of Zambia.

“This showroom is the first of its kind in Africa and it houses the trucks as well as spares, and offers after sales service to the customers. We shall be providing our customers with first class service and skills. Two big advantages of having a facility of this nature is that one doesn’t need to go out of the country anymore to procure spare parts, and it houses an education facility for technical skills development,” Mr Swanepoel noted.

Volvo Group Southern Africa president Torbjorn Christensson, Volvo trucks President Claes Nilsson, Zambia’s Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe, Titanium Motors Chairman Yusuf Patel and UD Trucks Managing Director Gert Swanepoel during a press conference at the Titanium Motors Showroom in Lusaka.

40

ProAgri Zambia 19

There is only ONE Bonnox If you doubt whether you are being offered genuine fencing, confirm with us.

FLEXI FENCE RINGLOK®

® HINGEJOINT H HI

Photo: Cottondale Game Ranch

zane@bonnox.co.za | gerda@bonnox.co.za | linda@bonnox.co.za www.bonnox.co.za | +27 (0)12-666-8717 | +27 (0)76-169-9068