ProAgri Zambia 40

ProAgri technology for the farmer

Z a m b i a No 40

Free

shows it all Feed Novatek for proďŹ t

sweetens irrigation for you

GRAIN HANDLING EQUIPMENT AUTOMATED SHEEP SYSTEMS WATER RESERVOIRS GRAIN DAMS SILOS

rsagrainstoragesolutions.co.za +27 (0)82 576 5057 | +27 (0)76 991 5208

Cover

Letter from the Editor

A

gritech Agritech Agritech… This 6th show in Chisamba on the premises of the GART farm proves once again to be the best agricultural show in Zambia and it is growing rapidly every year. The organisers, Spintelligent, all the way from Cape Town, once again did a fantastic job organising and presenting the show.

To draw out that last bit of Agritech richness, many companies had to tell us about their stands and what they had, and still have to offer to our farmers. This Agritech edition is bulky and the stories about another successful show are popping out of the pages.

There was an impressive number of visitors – 18 542, 56 countries participated, there were 7 international pavilions, and an astonishing 223 local and international exhibitors displayed their wares and services.

The rain and dark clouds didn’t damp

Content

4

9

the atmosphere and from the smallest subsistence farmer to the biggest commercial farmer attended the show, which caters for everyone.

Besides our Agritech section, we also visited farms where Novatek’s feeds changed the life of the farmer and his animals.

Bacon Freight is a worldwide transport company and they are planting their feet firmly in Zambia.

Your truck can’t leave the yard without PS2 Tyre fluid in the accessories trunk, and Hypeb Zambia has an amazing, green solution for building fish ponds. Don’t miss the Cattle Wealth field day at the end of the month.

Farm smartly!

Du Preez de Villiers dupreez@proagri.co.za

15

ProAgri technology for the farmer

Z a m b i a

Nangwenya House No. 7352 Nangwenya Road Rhodespark +26 (0)96-216-9801 www.proagri.co.za Copyright © 2019. 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

20

26

2.

Novatek: ISO 22 000 ensures safer and better feed

4.

Get the taste of success with Novatek

6.

Control your irrigation from anywhere in the world with Agrico

7.

Meet your cattle wealth creators

9.

Fence in a mountain with Bonnox to keep game inside

11.

Prolong the life of your tyres: PS2 is the one and only tyre doctor

15.

Make more from your crops: Processing of oil seeds - Part 15

20.

The operation and application of hay rakes and hay tedders: Part 3

25.

Bacon Freight: Your goods should enjoy first-class transport

31

26.

Agritech 2019: Breaking the dry spell

29.

A dam sealer that really works: Hypeb makes green products practical

31.

Tractors and implements for every farmer: Pick any size tractor at Saro Agro

33.

Bayer CropScience: Control pests to increase your yield

34.

Farming evolves up to its highest form: JCB

35.

Saving your back is the first step in mechanisation

37.

For the best results, plant DEKALB maize

38.

Big or small, AFGRI will keep you farming

40.

Namadzi Agricultural Suppliers open the world of mechanisation

41.

K2 Seed Marketing puts magic in their maize

42.

Plant SeedCo for peace of mind and profits

43.

Camco: Foton Lovol tractors shine in Zambia

44.

Musika facilitates win-win relationships

ProAgri Zambia 40

With Agrico’s Advanced Rain app, you can manage your pivot irrigation systems from anywhere in the world.

Read more about this useful piece of technology on page 6.

Editor Du Preez de Villiers > +27 82-598-7329 dupreez@proagri.co.za Reporters Annemarie Bremner > +27 82-320-3642 annemarie@proagri.co.za Benine Ackermann > +27 73-105-6938 benine@proagri.co.za Senior Production Manager: Zainab Pandor > +26 (0)97-769-9786 zainab@proagri.co.za Marketing Manager Diane Grobler > +27 82-555-6866 diane@proagri.co.za Marketing Xander Pieterse > +27 79-524-0934 xander@proagri.co.za Tiny Smith > +27 82-698-3353 tiny@proagri.co.za Anelda Strauss > +27 74-424-0055 anelda@proagri.co.za Gerhard Potgieter > +27 74-694-4422 gerhard@proagri.co.za Design Christiaan Joubert > christiaan@proagri.co.za Enquiries Engela Botha > +27 12-803-0782 engela@proagri.co.za Accounts Ronel Schluter > +27 12-803-0782 accounts@proagri.co.za Business Manager George Grobler

1

The Novatek plant in Lusaka is semi-automated

ISO 22 000 ensures safer and better feed

by Chewe Alphonsis Shinina

O

ver the last decade, with the expansion of customer awareness, rights and overall high customer expectation, product quality has become ever more important. Novatek Animal Feeds is also well known for its high-quality feed products regionally as well as in other parts of Africa. Although we have several competitors, Novatek continues to outshine the rest. The secret to this success is our ISO 22 000 accreditation.

Many may wonder, what is ISO 22 000? In a nutshell, ISO 22 000 is an international Food Safety Management System (FSMS) standard used by business entities to ensure that the food, in our case feed, is safe for our consumers. This ensures that the feed will not cause harm throughout the food chain, 2

starting from the farm to that warm, tasty meal we all enjoy.

This programme is run by our Food Safety Team which includes technical managers, quality managers, engineers, nutritionists, microbiologists, production managers and supervisors.

There are four main elements to this standard which we, as Novatek hold to heart. They are as follows: • Interactive communication • System Management • Prerequisite Programmes • HACCP principles Interactive communication is key to our success. We are interactive in the way we communicate with our customers, suppliers, contractors and most impor-

tantly, within our internal structure.

What better way than to find out what our customers want and trickle it down to our suppliers and contractors as well?

In so doing we cover our entire production and supply chain. We go to great lengths to ensure our customers are satisfied. All complaints are looked into and addressed in the shortest time possible to ensure customer satisfaction. Our highly qualified technical advisors and nutrition experts are always available at our customers’ request. This gives us a Customer Focus strategic approach.

No business entity runs without a management system. This brings us to the second element that is embedded in our operations, System Management.

We periodically check our Food Safety Management System to ensure that it is still effective, up to date and relevant in meeting our customers’ needs.

Our third element is the Prerequisite Programmes (PrP). This can be ex

ProAgri Zambia 40

The Novatek plant in Mpongwe is fully automated

CERTIFICATE This is to certify that

plained as programmes or activities, that when maintained effectively, will either eliminate, or reduce a potential food safety hazard to an acceptable level. Sometimes this element may be referred to as Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). An example would be the control and prevention of cross contamination of processed feed. Measures to prevent this may include separation of raw material from the finished feed in the storage areas. This is also achieved via semi-automation at our Lusaka plant and full-automation at the Mpongwe plant.

The last element is HACCP. This stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. In simpler words this technical term is a programme which allows us to identify various hazards that can occur at any stage of our production, supply chain as well as distribution.

When a hazard is identified, the necessary steps and actions are put in place to prevent or minimise the hazard to an acceptable level.

The core of Novatek Animal Feeds is quality. This is part of every department and process that takes place. We take pride in this accreditation and believe that our clients receive the greatest benefit by ensuring that the feed we produce is of the highest quality.

You may contact Wiehan Visagie at wiehanv@novatek.co.zm or MarnĂŠ Meyer at nutritionist@novatek.co.zm for any information on the safe and quality products of Novatek.

ProAgri Zambia 40

Novatek Animal Feeds Plot No. 9070 Katanga Road Lusaka Zambia

has implemented and maintains a Food

Safety Management System.

Scope: Production of Animal Feed and Pet Food Category: DI, DII

Through an audit, documented in a report, it was verified that the management system fulfills the requirements of the following standard:

ISO 22000 : 2005

Certificate registration no.

496889 FSMS2013

Valid from

2018-06-21

Valid until

2021-06-20

Date of certification

2018-06-21

DQS CFS GmbH

German Association for Sustainability

Dr. Sied Sadek Managing Director

Accredited Body: DQS CFS GmbH, August-Schanz-StraĂ&#x;e 21, 60433 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

The ISO 2200 certificate awarded to Novatek opened many new doors for them.

3

Get the taste of success with Novatek: When only the best is good enough

by Annemarie Bremner

right time to improve milk production.”

With the support of Novatek, who provides all the concentrates for the feed mixes on the farm, a proper plan was set in motion.

Currently the dairy's average is 27 litres and with the feeding programme in combination with a breeding plan set on productivity, Willa believes it will increase even more.

“We have five different rations for the cows and for each one, Novatek delivers the concentrated DairyMeal. The five groups are fresh cows, high production cows, late lactating cows, dry cows from 60 to 21 days before calving and lastly from 21 days before calving until the calf is born. If you look at the recipes, you will see that the dry cows will have a higher percentage of roughage while the high production cows receive more concentrates,” Willa says.

Every ration is mixed separately on the farm with the correct measure of DairyMeal, silage, hay and other roughage components according to the prescribed recipe.

Willa Vorster of Kalundu Dairy Farm ensures that the cows are happy in their cool house with enough of the best food.

W

illa Vorster is the type of dairy manager who believes in hands-on management. So hands-on that he will actually eat some of the calves’ feed pellets to taste if it is good enough for his babies!

“At some stage the calves were not eating well despite the most carefully worked out nutritional rations, so I tasted the pellets and I understood their problem. After talking to the experts, we pushed up the protein content from 18% to 21% and suddenly they started chewing away,” he explains.

On ProAgri’s visit to Zambeef’s Kalundu Dairy Farm at Chisamba we were also offered some of the calves’ tasty chews and if ever I return to this world as a Holstein calf, Kalundu would be my preferred home!

Willa took over the management of Kalundu Dairy in 2017 shortly after a huge upgrade to the largest state-ofthe-art rotary milking parlour in Zambia with the capacity to milk up to 2 500 cows a day in future.

Currently 1 090 cows are being milked and there are 2 608 animals in total. The herd is being built up after last year’s foot-and-mouth disease which impacted severely on the numbers.

When Willa took over, the dairy produced a daily average of 17 litres per cow, and he immediately took steps to improve the feeding programme. He says: “There was not much wrong with the content of the feed, but the cows were not getting enough feed at the

The calves are the future of the dairy and Willa Vorster will even taste their food to make sure it is not only healthy but also tasty.

4

“Here, have some!”

The calves also receive their special rations according to age and size and they are weighed every month to check their growth. The average daily growth is around 750 grams, but the aim is 850 grams. The birthweight should be doubled by the time the calf is weaned. To achieve this goal, only the best feed is supplied.

Willa says he works closely with Wiehan Visagie and his team at Novatek, and he knows he can rely on them.

“The thing about working with a company like Novatek, is that you not only receive the best quality concentrates, but you can also rely on the consistency of the mix and timely delivery.”

Kalundu Dairy uses ten tonnes of concentrates every day. Every Monday, Novatek receives the order for the week and their trucks deliver two to three times during the week.

Willa says: “It runs like a well-oiled machine!”

If you want to increase the milk production in your dairy, contact Wiehan Visagie at wiehanv@novatek.co.zm or Marné Meyer at nutritionist@novatek.co.zm to get the best concentrate every time on time.

ProAgri Zambia 40

ProAgri Zambia 40

5

Control your irrigation from anywhere in the world with Agrico This is how easy it is to control your pivot from anywhere in the world with Agrico’s Advanced Rain control option. One screen shows it all.

From next season this Agrico pivot will be used to irrigate sugar cane.

“I

can be anywhere in the world and still know exactly what is going on with my Agrico pivot… and I can even control it from my phone,” says Clint Bruyns from Kapinga Enterprises near Mazabuka.

ProAgri visited Clint on the farm Oklahoma which is being developed to produce sugar cane for the company’s sugar cane plant and transport hub.

Sugar cane is an important sector in Kapinga’s mixed operations, which includes grain silos, a maize mill, a feedlot for their own cattle and shares in an abattoir, Eco Beef. Molasses from the sugar cane forms part of the feed rations for the cattle.

Clint says Oklahoma has mostly been used for row crops, but recently a contract for the provision of sugar has been signed and the farming operation will now focus on sugar cane with some feedcrops in rotation.

The high profile seven tower Agrico pivot which has been used to irrigate soya beans this season, will from now on be responsible for 51 hectares of sugar cane.

There are other pivots on the farm, but Clint says they will walk the road with Agrico for all new developments when older pivots need to be replaced.

“It is all about efficiency and service,” he says.

Hy says Agrico really offers value for money; combining the fact that Agrico

Sebastian Stobart, Brad Stubbs and their team from Agrico are like family, says Clint Bruyns from Kapinga Enterprises.

6

has a high quality manufacturing plant a short distance away in RSA, and a fantastic support and installation team right here in Zambia. This made the irrigation project very economical for him.

Agrico's pivots are especially robust to deal with African conditions, with upgrades such as cable saver, wind saver, wheel saver and internet control available. Extra thick galvanising, rust free and reliable control systems, and auto flush valves. are standard features that distinguish Agrico Pivots from the rest.

Agrico Zambia has a team of designers and technicians who are ready to assist farmers with the best possible irrigation packages for their needs.

Clint says: “You can ask what you want. Agrico offers sprinkler packages suited to the crop and the soil with different droplet sizes and application rates available. I opted for a 9 mm/day package, taking 15 hours to complete a circle. Our soil has a heavy clay content and the area is very flat with no run-off of water. The soil holds water very well, so we do not need a high application rate.”

He says if the system is not designed right and you over-irrigate, it is not only the crop that suffers, but also your pocket. “The capital cost will be

Agrico not only provides large pivot irrigation equipment. At Agritech, small-scale farmers were introduced to many options for drip irrigation or smaller sprinkler systems. Agrico even has a demonstration plot at their offices where farmers can learn how to install their own systems.

unnecessarily high with larger pipes and bigger pumps, motors and switch gear. The running cost, including electricity and wear and tear will also be higher than necessary.”

Clint says that is why it is so important to team up with your pivot provider and to rely on their expertise as irrigation specialists.

“We know the people working at Agrico right from the top to the technicians on the ground. They were at Multicrop before Agrico bought the company, and it is to our advantage that Agrico retained them and their knowledge of local conditions. They are part of the family.”

Reliability, security and ease of operation are the other factors Clint is looking for in a pivot.

He says especially with the electronic- and internet controls of the system he can relax knowing what is going on.

One of the safety features is that the pivot will stop automatically if a set of wheels get stuck - something that can possibly happen given the type of soil. Agrico also has a pivot track filler which they use after harvesting.

The control system can be set to send a message or even phone the farmer whenever there is any problem.

“You can set it to send a message when somebody opens the control panel, and if someone tries to steal the electric cables, you can also receive an alarm.”

He says the Advanced Rain control option that he chose is extremely user friendly and easy to work with. There is a small SIM card in the panel and for about K30 a month you are always in control.

The pivot itself is sturdy and constructed of good quality galvanised steel. The high profile pivot will leave enough headroom to irrigate even the tallest sugar cane.

With the support of Agrico, Oklahoma is set to be a sweet success.

You can talk to Sebastian Stobart from Agrico in Zambia at +260 96 7207084, or send an e-mail to sebastian.stobart@agrico.co.za.

Also visit www.agrico.co.za to see their product range.

ProAgri Zambia 40

NERIA’S INVESTMENTS LTD LEADERS IN AGRO COMMODITY TRADING THE MOST AFFORDABLE P R I C E S O F CO M P O U N D D A N D U R E A I N T H E CO U N T R Y

Saturnia House, Opp. Ndeke Hotel Longacre’s Tel: +260 211 244 505/6

E-mail: info@neriainvestments.com

www.neriainvestments.com

Meet your cattle wealth creators E

visitors and will serve to be a highly interactive platform for farming business and networking.

As an innovative start-up farming business, Cattle Wealth Management Firm helps individuals to be cattle owners and ranchers through the provision of cattle management services. The business model allows for individuals to keep and grow their own herds of cattle on the Cattle Wealth farms with 24-hour expert management. Cattle Wealth Management Firm provides a solution to the challenges of lack of land, limited resources, or the time it requires to run a cattle farm.

Cattle Wealth has therefore extended an invitation to the general public to confirm whether they wish to attend the event.

xcitement is building up to Cattle Wealth Management’s first field day at the end of the month. They will open their doors to both existing and prospective cattle investors from different corporate backgrounds as well as the public service, strategic partners such as financiers, insurers, and the agricultural sector.

The Cattle Wealth field day will be held on Saturday 25 May 2019 in Ipongo, Chibombo district, Central Province, Zambia. The field day, with the theme, ‘Pioneering a new perspective in investment through cattle farming,’ is expected to attract over 400

Superb genetics, combined with expertise and efficient management, is your route to becoming a prosperous cattle farmer.

ProAgri Zambia 40

At their field day, Cattle Wealth Management will show farmers how well they treat their assets.

Register through their online registration portal, www.cattlewealth.co.zm/cattle-wealth-fieldday/, or directly at the Cattle Wealth offices at Lusaka Showgrounds. You may also contact their event managers, Joy or Cynthia, at admin@africastzambia. com, +26(0)21-126-7295/6/9, or +26(0)97-839-2715.

7

We

with the punches...

How good is your “defence”?

hingejoint

ringlok®

Avoid poor imitAtions And buy directly from the only bonnox fActory, situAted in sunderlAnd ridge, centurion only A bonnox invoice serves As A certificAte of Authenticity.

zane@bonnox.co.za • gerda@bonnox.co.za • linda@bonnox.co.za

6668717 8717 www.bonnox.co.za • +27 012(0)12 666

Fence a mountain with Bonnox to keep game in

by Du Preez de Villiers Now that Tony Guthrie has fenced his farm, Jacobrust, with Bonnox fencing his game do not disappear into the Maluti Mountains any longer.

“T

he eland literally ganged up and then walked through the fence as a body. We had just moved in here when the eland bull and five cows combined and flattened 100 metres of the eleven strand fence near our farm entrance. And when an eland roams free in this valley, he is a goner...”

This is the story of Tony Guthrie of the farm Jacobrust near Bethlehem in SA. He bought the farm 11 years ago when the farm’s fence could hardly keep a mouse in (or out), says Tony. “In some places it was a seven foot fence, in others eight; some stretches had six strands of wire and elsewhere it shot up to eleven.”

At that stage he and his wife Beth kept smaller antelope, such as springbok and blesbuck, on the farm. They were planning to introduce more indigenous game species, build holiday lofts and then take guests on game drives.

“We were in a hurry to erect a proper perimeter fence because our game just disappeared in front of our eyes and we had new animals on the way,” says Tony.

“Jackal pose serious problems. Erecting a standard fence would have required a lower section of jackal proof wire, or else the bottom strands of a standard fence have to be very close to each other. Repair patrols would have become imperative.”

“I wanted a solid 2,4-metre game fence around the whole farm. I did my

homework over six months and studied various options, styles and costs. The Bonnox combination series with smaller openings at the bottom provided builtin jackal proofing.”

He decided on the 2,4 metre option for the perimeter fence as he wanted to keep eland. The 2,1 metre and 1,8 metre were suitable for inside fences.

“Bonnox gave me a list of independent contractors and I contacted one. I found the price of the physical fencing was one aspect, but the labour, cost and time to erect the fencing quite something else. However, the contractor really knew what he was doing.”

“We bought everything from Bonnox – the poles, droppers, tensioner tool; even the binding wire. One truck arrived on the farm one day with everything on board and within three months the nine kilometre perimeter fence and all the inside fencing were completed”.

“The farm lies in a mountain and the fences had to follow some very steep contours. However, it was not really difficult to get the Bonnox to follow the profile of the terrain. The work was easy and progressed quickly. Labour-wise the savings with Bonnox is excellent,” says Tony.

“We now don’t lose any game any longer. Previously I had to repair fences every single week – every week!”

Beth is equally delighted with the

With the Bonnox specialised fencing the Guthries can now keep game from smaller species, such as springbok and blesbuck, to much bigger antelope like eland on their game farm.

ProAgri Zambia 40

Bonnox fencing. “I feel so much safer with Bonnox around me! The idea that an intruder has to cut more places – which takes much longer than ordinary fencing – makes me appreciate the enhanced security.”

Tony says it is much easier repairing a Bonnox fence after being cut compared with tensioned standard fence wire. “When that tensioned fencing is cut, the wire becomes an uncontrolled lethal, living threat.”

“We still buy Bonnox now and then to fence further paddocks. Here it is literally necessary to fence mountain and valley all around,” says Tony.

The farm is in a mountainous area but with the Bonnox fence it is easy to follow the steep contours.

Do the impossible with Bonnox.

Contact them on their landline +27 (0)12-666-8717 or cellphone +27 (0)76-169-9068, or send an e-mail to gerda@bonnox.co.za, linda@bonnox.co.za. or zane@bonnox.co.za.

Visit the Bonnox website at www.bonnox.co.za.

9

uppe marketing A20181

Animal nutrition that weathers through changing conditions.

Weather-resistant phosphate trace-mineral supplements and concentrates for your cattle, sheep and goats.

PhosSure 6/12 & PhosPro 17: • Essential for growth, optimal activity of the microbes in the rumen and reproduction on phosphorus-deficient grazing.

• The molasses byproduct enhances palatability to ensure sufficient P intake.

• Contains increased levels of essential trace minerals in the correct ratio to phosphorus.

• A unique feature is the hard crust that forms after exposure to moisture, protecting the product from rain damage.

For that extra nutritional boost when your animals need it most.

www.yara.co.za/animal-nutrition animal.nutrition.sa@yara.com Tel: +27 (0)31 910-5100 PhosSure 6 – SA Reg. No. V11350 (Act 36 of 1947) PhosSure 12 – SA Reg. No. V12858 (Act 36 of 1947) PhosPro 17 – SA Reg. No. V24441 (Act 36 of 1947) Yara Animal Nutrition South Africa (Pty) Ltd. Reg. No. 2001/025850/07

Prolong the life of your tyres: PS2 is the one and only tyre doctor

by Du Preez de Villiers A tyre is a very important and expensive asset. You can’t go wrong when prolonging the life of your tyres with PS2 Tyre Fluid.

F

leet and farm managers can all concur on one thing – a tyre is a very sensitive item and will cause huge losses in time and money when not treated and maintained correctly.

It is nearly impossible to ensure that every tyre on every truck or tractor under your responsibility is in tip top condition all the time, but PS2 Tyre Fluid makes it possible for managers to sleep easy while their vehicles are on the road or in the field.

ProAgri Zambia 40

PS2 is the only South African and African manufactured pressure stabiliser and tyre fluid, and it is designed for heavy-duty industrial, transport, mining and farming equipment. It will keep air pressure constant for as long as the tyres last and permanently seals leaks as soon as they occur. This highly efficient pressure stabiliser will radically reduce your downtime and give you many more kilometres per tyre.

The revolutionary fluid is designed

to be used in any tubeless pneumatic tyre. It is applied through the valve (or can be poured into the carcase) once the valve-core has been removed. Rotation of the tyre then evenly distributes the compound around the inner surface of the tyre. The viscosity of the product is very high, and it will cover the entire inside of the tyre.

The added benefits of PS Tyre Fluid are mind-blowing. It guards against porosity leaks, stops O-ring and vent hole leaks or leaks due to poor tyre repairs.

It helps industrial tyres to hold air even when the carcase is in an extremely poor condition and after operating in rough terrain. It contains strong antirust properties and prevents rust of wheel rims, and the anti-freeze properties prevent it from drying out inside the tyre for the tyre's entire lifespan.

It contains both powerful Aramid fibres used in bullet proof vests and microscopic fibres to seal molecular fissures, and withstands both extreme high and low temperatures.

PS2 Tyre Fluid is also water based, nontoxic, non-flammable and biodegradable.

Bennie Oosthuizen is the man behind this wonder product. Call him at +26(0)96-380-5674, send an e-mail to pstwosales@gmail. com, or visit the website at www.tyrefluids2.co.za.

11

GAME PELLETS the ration is formulated to supply all the nutritional requirements for game kept in pens or are subjected to minimal or poor quality grazing

feeding reccomendations feed ad lib

nutrient

quantity

unit

max / min

Protein Fat Fat Fibre Fibre Moisture Calcium Calcium Phosphorus

11.0 25.0 70.0 110.0 200.0 120.0 6.0 10.0 2.5

g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg g / kg

Min Min Max Min Max Max Min Max Min

quality animal feed 096 676 3650 096 785 5495

ProAgri Zambia 40

13

Because Your Business Never Stops Harvest is a time when all your hard work, hopes and ambitions come together.

It’s also a time when you need the reassurance of reliable electric power.

FG Wilson offer a complete range of robust and reliable self-contained generator sets from 6.8 – 2,500 kVA which are easy to specify and operate.

We can help you choose a generator set which will give you years of service, see that it’s installed and ensure you have all the service and support you need.

To find out more, visit www.fgwilsonafrica.com Or contact sales@kva.co.za 14

ProAgri Zambia 40

Make more from your crops Processing of oil seeds Part 15: Refining of sunflower oil on a medium scale

By Theresa Siebert, Petrus Britz, Pr Eng and Agrelek

C

rude oils and fats, especially vegetable oils, contain various kinds of extraneous matter such as dirt, moisture, gums, waxes, carbohydrates, proteinaceous material, pigments, flavouring substances, trace metals, antioxidants (commonly called tocopherols or vitamin E), free fatty acids and other unwanted components. To remove most of these undesirable components and to achieve a pleasing colour and bland flavour, oils are refined. Crude oils normally need refining to render them fit for human consumption.

Medium-scale sunflower processors don’t have to shy away from producing a nifty product. Photo: indiamart.com ProAgri Zambia 40

We thank the ARC Agricultural Engineering in South Africa who made the information available to the readers of ProAgri Zambia.

Separate stages of degumming, neutralisation, bleaching and deodorisation or deacidification (steam refining) are normally applied to crude oils before they reach the consumer.

Degumming (desliming): Some impurities such as proteins, phospholipids, et cetera, must be removed. The oil is heated to just below 100°C and hot water (3 to 5%) or a weak salt/alkali solution (0,02 to 0,5%) is added. The oil mixture is agitated and all the impurities flocculate (sediment) after 1 to 60 min. The sediment is removed by either allowing the mixture to settle, followed by draining of the residue, or it may be separated from the oil by centrifugation. Various organic and inorganic acids, for example aqueous citric and phosphoric acids, may be used to improve the efficiency of the degumming process. The phospholipids may react in the seed or in the oil to form calcium salts which do not hydrate, and which remain dissolved in the oil. They will interfere with processing, for example

by deacidification. An advantage of phosphoric or citric acid degumming is to ensure that these non-hydratable

Sunfl owers Harvesting & storage Separation Dehulling (Size reduction) (Conditioning) Extraction Pressed oil

Oil-cake

Clarifi cation Refi ning

Oil recovery (Solvent extraction)

Packaging

Oil-cake recovery

Sunfl ower oil Process description of sunflower oil on a medium scale.

15

YOUR VISION,

our passion.

SN 501234

SN 501288

SN 501430

SN 501284

SN 501257

KROONSTAD

KOPPIES

KROONSTAD

BOTHAVILLE

UGIE

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2008 John Deere 9670 STS Combine E3936/R 2827 R 1 250 000-00 + VAT Paseka Maqaza - +27 83 700 7525

2015 John Deere S670 Combine E1188/D750 R 2 800 000-00 + VAT GJ Pretorius - +27 72 862 8738

2014 John Deere S 670 E 900 /R EST70 R 2 800 000-00 + VAT JP Smit - +27 76 532 8923

SN 501457

SN 501056

SN 501367

SN 501249

SN 501299

KROONSTAD

KROONSTAD

PARYS

UGIE

KROONSTAD

2016 John Deere S690 Combine E1118/D709 R 3 850 000-00 +VAT Theuns Botha - +27 73 107 6481

2014 John Deere S 660 Dual E 573, R 429 R 2 600 000-00 +VAT Johan Swart - +27 KRO ls 83 648 7724

2011 Case 2388 , E7771/R4641 Combine R 390 000 + VAT GJ Pretorius - +27 72 862 8738

2016 Case 6130 Combine E2351/R1864 R 1 850 000-00 + VAT Paseka Maqaza - +27 83 700 7525

John Deere 608 C 0,91 Header R 350 000-00 + VAT JP Smit - +27 76 532 8923

SN 501107

SN 501333

SN 501324

SN 501197

SN 501215

KROONSTAD

HERTZOGVILLE

KROONSTAD

KROONSTAD

BOTHAVILLE

John Deere 694 5Row Header R 60 000-00 + VAT Paseka Maqaza - +27 83 700 7525

John Deere 608 C 0,91 Head

John Deere 894 0,9M Head

R 300 000-00 + VAT P Johan Swart - +27 83 648 7724

R 170 000-00 + VAT Paseka Maqaza - +27 83 700 7525

2017 John Deere 9570 RX Tractor 1638 HRS R 5 800 000-00 + VAT Paseka Maqaza - +27 83 700 7525

2014 John Deere 9560 RT 4360 HRS Great Condition R 3 300 000 + VAT Paseka Maqaza - +27 83 700 7525

SN 501214

SN 501428

SN 501176

SN 501338

SN 501035

KROONSTAD

KROONSTAD

LICHTENBURG

KROONSTAD

KROONSTAD

2014 John Deere 9560 RT Tractor 4440 HRS R 3 300 000-00 + VAT Paseka Maqaza - +27 83 700 7525

2002 John Deere 8420 Tractor 14913 R 480 000-00 + VAT Paseka Maqaza - +27 83 700 7525

2016 John Deere 8370R IVT, 1735 HRS, Auto Trac SF 1 R 2 900 000-00 + VAT Paseka Maqaza - +27 83 700 7525

2015 John Deere 8345 R 1500 HRS R 3 000 000-00 + VAT Paseka Maqaza - +27 83 700 7525

2012 John Deere 8310 R with Auto trac sf 1 & 2630 screen R 1 850 000 + VAT Theuns Botha - +27 73 107 6481

SN 501296

SN 501221

SN 501368

SN 501241

SN 501442/3/4/6/7/8/51/55

BOTHAVILLE

VILJOENSKROON

KROONSTAD

PARYS

KROONSTAD

2002 John Deere 8420 Auto trac sf 1 with gs 1800 screen 5992 HRS R 800 000.00 + VAT

JP Smit - +27 76 532 8923

2007 John Deere 7730 MFWD CAB Tractor, 7600 HRS R 550 000-00 + VAT JP Smit - +27 79 097 0714

Case STX 600 QUAD TRAC Est 1555 hrs Excellent condition!

R 4 000 000-00 + VAT JP Smit - +27 76 532 8923

2014 Case STX 600 QUAD TRAC 4326 HRS R 2 621 500-00 + VAT Wessel de Wet - +27 79 665 1450

8 x 2016 John Deere 5090 Tractors HRS 812-1500 R 323 000-00 + VAT Louis Stroebel - +27 79 097 0714

Prices are subject to change without prior notice and based on availability of stock! All prices are excluding VAT Office : (+27) 056 216 0700 Theuns Botha : (+27) 073 107 6481

Fax : (+27) 086 554 1757 E-mail : theuns.botha@senwes.co.za

Paseka Maqaza : (+27) 083 700 7525

16 Str nr. 9, PO

10th box 197, Industria, Kroonstad, 9500. Coordinates S. 27° 40.17 E. 27°12.93

E-mail : paseka.maqaza@senwes.co.za

ProAgri Zambia 40

Deodorisation: Deodorisation is one of the final processing steps in the preparation of an oil for edible purposes, such as a salad oil or cooking fat, or in the preparaNeutralisation: tion of an oil stock for margarine. The The free fatty acids that may be prevolatile impurities must be removed by sent must be removed to reduce the steam distillation under low pressure. risk of the development of a rancid The oil is heated to 180 - 280°C and taste, due to the reaction of free fatty steam is injected into the oil to drive acids with oxygen. The oil is treated the volatile flavours from the oil and with an aqueous alkali (caustic soda collect them separately. The time of or sodium carbonate [soda ash]). The treatment varies according to the deaqueous alkali is added as a fine spray sign of the plant and the temperature from above (sparging) and heated (75 used, from 5 hours in low temperature to 98°C). batch processes to as little as 15 minThe fine droplets of aqueous alkali utes in some continuous systems. fall through the oil, reacts with the free Batch deodorisation vessels consist fatty acids and form soaps soluble in of vertical steel tanks. A large vapour warm water. The soaps are separated space is maintained above the liquid from the oil by centrifugation or setlevel to contain the oil during the viotling, where the oil mixture is washed lent agitation caused by steam injecwith warm water to remove the soaps tion. Provision for reducing the entrainbefore drying under vacuum (optional). ment of oil in the escaping steam is made at the top of the deodoriser, where it is connected with the vacuum line. The heating of the oil to deodorisation temperature and its subsequent cooling are carried out under vacuum since it is important that the hot oil should not come into contact with atmospheric oxygen, which would lead to the production of new off-flavours.

A continuous deodorisation vessel consists of a vertical cylindrical shell with Refining equipment is necessary to remove a wide variety compartments, through which the of impurities from sunflower oil. Photo: alibaba.com oil flows downsalts are rendered hydratable and can be removed together with other phospholipids.

Bleaching: Bleaching removes colouring matter from the oils or fats. It is essential to bleach oil thoroughly before hydrogenation to improve oxidative stability of the oil. Activated fuller's earth (0,1 to 3%) is added to the oil or it is sucked into the oil while it is agitated under vacuum (60 to 88°C) for 5 to 60 min.

The colourants adhere to the fuller's earth. The fuller's earth is removed by filtration over a screen filter or plateand-frame filter. The whole process is carried out in vertical vessels made of mild steel which hold up to 25 tonnes of oil. Each vessel is fitted with a mechanical stirrer, a means of heating and cooling, valves, sight glass, a vacuum gauge and a thermometer.

ward to allow for the heating by steam, agitation, and holding the oil to ensure sufficient removal of all the volatile impurities. The deodorised oil can be filtered after deodorisation, a process known as ‘polishing'.

Physical (steam) refining/ deacidification (optional): In some cases, a crude oil may be of adequate quality and does not need any further processing. Physical or steam refining is a term used for the deacidification of degummed/ phosphoric acid treated and/or light bleached oils by high temperature (200°C) steam distillation. It is the refining of oils to remove various undesirable components, while keeping triglycerides intact and with minimum losses of antioxidant tocopherols present in the oils.

The free fatty acids are removed from oil by steam distillation. The oil is treated with hot water (60 - 90°C) in a deodorisation vessel. The oil is heated to a temperature of 163 to 270°C under vacuum and live steam is injected.

Fatty acids are thereby volatilised and drawn off. Deacidification may be carried out in a batch, semi-continuous or fully continuous plant. The oil is rapidly cooled down to 30°C within 6 to 8 minutes from the start of the process.

Recovery of oil from oil-cake – medium scale Since the oil cake contains a relatively high percentage of oil, it can be recovered using a solvent extraction process.

The solvent, usually hexane, is mixed with the oil-cake and kept for 15 to 60 min at a temperature range of 40 to 65°C. Two types of extractors are used, either in combination with each other or in combination with one of the above pressing processes.

• The percolation extractor: the solvent is pumped over a bed of the oil-cake and the solvent percolates down, leaving the cylinder through perforated bottom of the cylinder.

• Immersion extractor: the oil cake is immersed in a pool of solvent.

The cake is propelled by a chain or screw conveyor. The recovered solvent-oil mixture ‘miscella’ is heated to recover the solvent for re-use during future extraction.

Recovery of oil-cake – medium scale The solvent treated oil cake can be recovered for animal feed by a steam treatment that evaporates the solvent.

The oil cake is then dried by hot air blowers, ideally using fluidised-bed air dryers.

Deodorisation tanks remove undesirable odours under vacuum. Photo: alibaba.com

ProAgri Zambia 40

Packaging of sunflower oil Packaging is defined as the containment of a food product in a protective barrier that prepares goods for transport, distribution, storage, retailing and end-use.

17

Next month we shall look at the processing of sunflower oil for small-scale farmers.

Published with acknowledgement to the ARC Agricultural Engineering for the use of their manuals.

Visit www.arc.agric.za for more information.

There is a large amount of valuable sunflower oil in oil cake, which can be removed to be sold for much more money. Photo: exportersindia.com Sunflower oil is packed into greaseproof plastic bottles or drums. Retail bottles are closed with snap-on or screw lids with or without special pouring devices. The containers should be hermetically sealed to prevent entry of water, air and oxygen, which would cause spoilage of the oil.

Medium-scale sunflower oil producers can pack their products into appealing containers of various sizes. Photo: alibaba.com Sunflower oil is an important oil seed product with good flavour stability, coupled with its high linoleic acid content. Sunflower seeds yield between 40 and 60% oil. The oil can be used as salad and cooking oils, shortening, and margarine. Cold-pressed oil is suitable for table use and hot-pressed oil, which is of lesser value, is used for soapmaking, candle-making, lubricants, and used for mixing paints. The residue oil cake (press-cake) is used for animal feed.

18

LITERATURE SOURCES 1. Anon. 1993. Oil Processing: Food Cycle Technology Source Books. Intermediate Technology Publications.

2. Fellows, P. 1988. Food Processing Technology: Principles and Practice. Chichester: Ellis Horwood, Ltd. 3. Gunstone, FD & Norris, FA. 1983. Lipids in foods. Oxford: Pergamon Press.

4. Jooste, C. 1998. Oliesade: Veel groter wins met nuwe proses.

Landbouweekblad.

5. Nel, C. 1998. Agrival. Agrival@ netactive.co.za 6. Nwokolo, E. & Smartt, J. 1996. Food and feed from legumes and oilseeds. New York: Chapman & Hall.

7. Potter, NN & Hotchkiss, JH. 1995. Food Science. 5th ed.

New York: Chapman & Hall.

8. Salunke, DK, Bolin, HR & Reddy, NR. 1991. Storage, Processing, and Nutritional Quality of Fruits and Vegetables, 2nd ed. Volume II: Processed Fruits and Vegetables. Boca Raton: CRC Press 9. Salunkhe, DK et al. 1992.

Word Oilseeds: Chemistry, Technology and Utilisation. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

10. South Africa - Agricultural Products Standards Act (No 119 of 1990) and regulations.

Pretoria: Government Printers.

11. South Africa - Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectant Act (no 54 of 1972) and regulations. Johannesburg: Lex Patria 12. Van Wyk, A. 1989. Die veelsydige sonneblom. Suid-Afrikaanse Panorama. Vol 34: # 6: pp 28 - 33.

Oil cake is a very valuable ration component in animal feed. Photo: Youtube.com Legislation The processor should be familiar with and adhere to the laws and regulations applicable to the products manufactured to ensure the safe and legal marketing of oilseed products.

ProAgri Zambia 40

ProAgri Zambia 40

19

The operation and application of hay rakes and hay tedders Part 3: The single rotor rake components

by GJ Stoltz (Reg Eng Tech)

20

ProAgri Zambia 40

T

the central positioned hexagonal axle support (see Figure 6).

Windrow screens and safety guards: The windrow screen is mounted on the side of the rake and is kept in place with a bolt (see Figures 1 and 2). The width of the windrow is adjusted by removing the bolt and moving the screen inwards or outwards. The bolt must be replaced by using any suitable hole in the cross-member of the windrow screen when adjusting the width of the windrow. A sub-frame is mounted on each side of the main frame to serve as safety guards so that the tractor operator does not bump the tine arms and tines against trees or any other objects by accident (see Figure 2).

Guards, and also the windrow screen, can be folded upwards when transporting the rake, or storing it.

Figure 6: Adjust the guide wheels up and down by turning the screw on top of the centre hub.

his month we discuss windrow screens and safety guards, guide wheels, tine arms, carriers and the operational features of the single rotor rake. We thank the ARC Agricultural Engineering in South Africa for making their manual on rakes and tedders available to the readers of ProAgri Zambia.

Figure 1: The windrow screen can be placed on either side of the rake.

The sub-frame on each side of the main frame protects the tines.

Figure 2: The windrow width can be adjusted by choosing the correct hole in the cross-member. The safety guards are mounted to the main frame.

Guide wheels: The rake is mounted on two centrally placed height-adjustable castor wheels (also called guide wheels). Four wheels are also sometimes used, in tandem, for adjusting the raking depth of the tines and to keep the machine as stable as possible during the raking process. Tandem wheels also allow maximum smoothness during operation at high land speeds (see Figures 3 and 4).

Figure 3: Two centrally placed guide wheels.

Tine arms carrier: The tine arms are detachable and can be transported in a suitable carrier on the main frame of the rake (see Figures 7 and 8). This carrier consists of racks for securing the tine arms. The tine arms are detachable for reducing the transport and storage width of the rake.

Figure 4: Four guide wheels in tandem.

The tine height can, on some models, be set by adjusting the guide wheels hydraulically from the tractor so that the tines can match the length of the stubble and different ground conditions.

The pivoting guiding wheels are equipped with balloon tyres that perform very well on hay stubble and irregular terrain (see Figure 5). The guide wheels can also be adjusted up or down by turning a mechanical screw on top of the centre hub, also known as

Figure 5: A guide wheel fitted with a balloon tyre.

ProAgri Zambia 40

Figure 7: The main frame has holes at the top that serve as a carrier for the tine arms during transport.

Figure 8: The tine arms are detached and placed in the carrier for transport. The safety guards are also folded upwards for transport.

21

F5400 & F5500 Round Balers • 2.1m pick up • Heavy duty feed rotor • Drop floor unblocking system • 18 roller bale chamber • 50 mm bale chamber bearings • 1’-1/4” chain on the bale chamber • Centralised greasing blocks (manual greasing) • High performance vario stretch netter • Continuous oiler system • Wizard control box (4 digit display) ANDREOLI ENGINEERING

CHOICE OF PROFESSIONALS

MACCHINE AGRICOLE E INDUSTRIALI

Jupidex Zambia Ltd • Stand 26594A • Kafue Road • Lusaka | Tel: +260 977 435 681 | chinso.chipopola@jupidex.co.za | www.jupidex.co.za

Operational features: Single and double rotor rakes are positive in their raking action, but due to their high peripheral tine-tip speed, excessive leaf loss and shattering may occur in leafy or dry crops.

Airy windrows, with little soil contamination, can be expected from this type of rake.

The land speed will be determined by the type of crop to be raked, and the power requirements differ between 11 and 15 kW. A single rotor rake can weigh up to 300 kg. With a rotor diameter of 3,6 meter, a single rotor rake can cover as much as 3,2 hectares per hour at a land speed of 10 km/h.

The three-point hitched, single rotor rake, can be raised up to a height of 50 cm from the driver’s seat (see Figure 9).

Figure 11: Raking a double windrow.

Figure 13a: A front-mounted single rotor rake in action.

Figure 13b: A front-mounted single rotor rake in action.

Figure 9: A tractor’s three-point hitch can raise a rake up to 50 cm from ground level.

The following types of windrows can be formed with a single rotor rake: • Single windrow (see Figure 10) • Double windrow (see Figure 11) • Multiple windrow (see Figure 12).

NoseRing

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

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

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

Figure 12: Raking a multiple windrow.

Figure 10: Raking a single windrow.

ProAgri Zambia 40

Front-mounted single rotor rakes can also be used to form windrows (see Figures 13a and 13b).

Next month we shall look at the double rotor rake. Published with acknowledgement to the ARC Agricultural Engineering for the use of their rakes and tedders manual. Visit www.arc.agric.za for more information.

23

BEAT THE WEATHER!

Family Drip System (FDS), an easy to use gravity based drip irrigation system – to mitigate the changing weather patterns – to get the best yields even when there is limited/no rain Irrigation of all vegetable types or row crops or tree crops grown

FEATURES

ADVANTAGES

• Drip kits to cover 500 m², 4 000 m² or any size as requested by client • Low pressure system and doesn’t need a pump to operate (bigger systems can also use solar pumps) • Easily attached to any water tank size • Specifically designed for a wide variety of crops • All infield network component parts included in the pack

• Provides maximum efficiency in water and fertiliser usage • Enables soluble fertiliser through the system • Simple installation and maintenance • Increased yields / increased income

FDS 500 m 2 Only K 3 000

Can also be included as part of an integrated Greenhouse / Net-house and drip system installation

FDS 1 Acre Only K 12 500

Empowering Zambia is our Business Office: +260 966 860 751 | Mobile: 966485292 E-mail: clients.zambia@baltoncp.com Plot 9362 Mumbwa Road P.O. Box 31744, Lusaka, Zambia

www.amiranzambia.com

Bacon Freight: Your goods should enjoy first class transport

by Du Preez de Villiers

A

n international freight company is not just a service to move your belongings or products from point A to B. There are numerous hoops to jump through before they can adhere to their side of the deal. Bacon Freight has a very professional footprint all over the world and they believe their customers can sit back and relax while they serve their interests over countries and continents.

Bacon Freight & Logistics Limited was established to address the challenges of road freight, air freight, rail freight and ocean freight. With their highly motivated and specialised team, they handle all challenges in the freight industry with competence and ease.

“Over the years of providing quality services to our customers, we have proven that we can be trusted with your customs clearance requirements including freight services. Consider it signed, sealed and delivered,” Max Chizyuka, Director of Bacon Freight Zambia, says.

The secret of their success is a superior delivery system, built on the latest technology, which is unique to the industry. This means maximised productivity and enhanced efficiency.

Every customer can rest assured that he will receive efficient, dependable and cost-effective service at all times.

Zambia became a recent centre on this California based company’s portfolio. They opened an office in Chandwe Musonda Road in Lusaka, and ProAgri Zambia 40

familiarised themselves with all the finer requirements to do business with the Zambian people. “Our relationship with the Zambia Revenue Authority is very sound. We fully understand our optimum level of operations in our industry in relation to CAP 322 under the Zambian customs act,” Max says.

Bacon Freight has been operational since 1983 and over these many years they gathered truckloads of experience in order to give inexpensive but reliable service. They believe their clients have to make informed decisions before importing or exporting their goods. “We fully understand the needs of importers, exporters and transporters, and our rates are very competitive. Clients who bring in multiple shipments in a month will even receive special rates,” Max says.

Bacon Freight knows time is money.

“Our standing time at borders for shipments is 48 hours maximum or less, if provided with pre-alert documents for pre-clearance. We always update our clients free of charge on matters relating to their needs. This includes goods requiring permits, licenses, prohibited and restricted goods, tariff changes and duty rates. We also arrange for import, export and transit permits at minimal rates,” he says.

Their services include road freight, sea freight, warehousing, air freight, rail freight, cargo insurance, stuffing and unstuffing, custom clearance, a booking agency and cargo inspection.

Some of their current clientele in Zambia are China Copper Mines ltd, Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation, Kamoto Copper Mines, Zambia Ministry of Health and next door in the DRC is Kisenda Mines Ltd. When it comes to prompt, efficient and professional distribution of freight and customs clearing within all major commercial centres throughout Africa, Bacon Freight & Logistics Limited is way ahead of the rest.

The US company, Bacon Freight & Logistics Limited, believes bigger is better equals professional and inexpensive service.

You have enough reasons to join Bacon Freight & Logistics Limited as your preferred service provider for your business and personal needs. Contact them at +26(0)76-137-3755 or send an e-mail to info@bacon-freight. com. Also navigate their website at www.bacon-freight.com for more information.

25

Agritech

Agritech 2019 Breaking the dry spell

by Annemarie Bremner

R

ain clouds, a few showers and muddy roads did not stop the agricultural community of Zambia from enjoying the largest display of farming technology in the country at GART in Chisamba; Agritech 2019.

In a way the late rains in the area symbolised the end of a rather dry spell in agriculture in Zambia. Armed with new information, a deeper understanding and products developed for farming in Zambia, farmers can now face the new season with confidence.

18 542 people visited the show to see and talk to the 223 exhibitors.

Features of this year’s expo were the overwhelming presence of international representation from 56 countries and 7 pavilions. These included the European Union, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, the Nordic countries, as well as China, Thailand, and last, but not least, South Africa.

Scattered all over the showgrounds were tents where people could listen to lectures on a wide variety of subjects.

These are some of the images and moments captured by the ProAgri team:

On the day of the President’s visit, it was not easy to get into the show grounds!

Strict biosecurity measures were in place after the foot-and-mouth scare last year. Still no animals were allowed.

A visit by His Honourable President, Mr Edgar Lungu, drew lots of interest and our farmers are really privileged to have a leader who is so interested in agriculture that he walks through the whole show talking to exhibitors and farmers.

26

There is a lot of international support for the development of agriculture in Zambia.

ProAgri Zambia 40

Agritech Those who went to the expo to learn were not disappointed. Information was shared at the stands, in the teaching tents and really down to ground level.

What better way to honour our farmers than to present their delicious produce at Agritech?

Livestock Services is one of ProAgri’s important distributors and they also enjoy reading our magazine.

Of course, there is always time for a bit of fun, whether you are on the 4X4 track or enquiring about what’s really in the early morning coffee!

ProAgri Zambia 40

One of the lovely features of Agritech is that people can afterwards harvest and enjoy the produce from the many demonstration plots.

27

Innova�ve solu�ons to make your farm flower to its best poten�al

1 Freedom Ave, Parklands, Kitwe

Hypeb makes green products practical

by Rick Esterhuizen number of products that are also suitable for the agricultural market. During the past Agritech show they exhibited some of these products: • CCTV and security solutions • Two-way radio communication systems and solutions • PortaTank™ and PortaDam™ • Chicken curtains • The Downer Cow Jack • PolyRoads • PolySeal Dams • Emergency PipeFix • Hella agricultural work lights

A PolySeal dam can be an aesthetic or practical dam with many years of carefree, minimum maintenance.

T

he going green and recycling hype is hitting us from all directions and grows stronger, but some still find it unattainable and impractical. Hypeb Investments Limited is a company that begs to differ. They made it affordable and useful for our fish farmers with their revolutionary PolySeal Dam product.

Hypeb Investments Limited is a fully owned Zambian Company operating from the Copperbelt in Kitwe. After serving the mining industry for more than twenty years, they are now also branching out to the agricultural market. Part of their management team has an agricultural background and it made sense to their family to become part of a farmer’s daily activities.

Zambia’s agricultural market is gearing up for commercial fish farming. One of the high-risk challenges is a longterm cost-effective dam lining solution to ensure that a farmer and his fish have peace of mind. The biggest challenges faced in waterproofing ponds are the potential external factors that could damage them. This includes fire, animals, UV-damage during the dry season and cracks that might lead to leaks.

PolySeal Dam is a combination of various elements. A chemical bonding takes place that forms a strong, pliable surface to ensure a non-cracking, waterproof lining with no effect on the fish living in the dam. It uses PolySeal (plastic polymer), 32.5 Portland cement powder, geotextile membrane, and the available ground materials to form a bonded lining covering a dam surface. The magic happens when the above elements form a UV resistant, fire-retardant, flexible bond between ProAgri Zambia 40

the lining and the surface it is applied to. The lining will not burn during bush fires, mice and rats will not eat through it, and once dry, it will not leave a taste in the water.

There is, however, still the possibility that the surface might get damaged, for example by large rocks falling onto the exposed surface. This can easily be repaired with low labour cost and without expensive equipment. PolySeal Dams are not size or shape dependent.

A “seamless” lining can be applied to ensure a leak free dam. PolySeal Lining can also be used to repair existing concrete dams, watering troughs and irrigation canals.

Hypeb Investments Limited, as well as the original product manufacturer, will issue a ten-year warranty on the completed dam, plus an extended warranty for up to five years (terms and conditions apply). This gives the dam a minimum lifespan of fifteen years, versus other lining methods that need to be replaced after three to eight years.

The overall cost of installation over the lifespan of the dam is approximately 50 to 70 percent of other methods of waterproofing fishponds, water storage dams and roof sealing.

Over and above the lifespan of the dams, the base material, PolySeal, is not only environmentally friendly, but is adding to the recycling chain as it is manufactured from PET-plastics that are normally not suitable for industrial plastic recycling.

During the past few years, Hypeb Investments Limited obtained and secured a number of high-quality distributorships and has identified a

Hypeb Investments Limited is in the process of entering into various trade and franchise agreements countrywide to ensure that you can buy their products at a store close to you.

Before A huge risk for a fish farmer was a leaking dam, until PolySeal Dam arrived on the scene.

After Should you be interested in their products, or in stocking their range of products, contact them at hypebzambia@gmail.com.

29

Agritech

A dam sealer that really works:

30

ProAgri Zambia 40

Pick any size tractor at Saro Agro

by Du Preez de Villiers

Saro offers an impressively wide range of tractors for farms of all sizes.

T

he small and medium-scale farming sector is growing steadily in Zambia.

These farmers' needs are growing and one of the big steps forward is the purchase of a tractor. Saro Agro positioned themselves very well in the smaller tractor market, as could be seen when they showcased their wide variety of tractor models and ranges at Agritech.

Calvin Salah, Saro Agro’s Marketing Manager says: “We’ve been here from the first Agritech and we always felt that we have to take part in every successive one. We can’t aff ord not to be here. This is a good platform for people in the agricultural sector to get together and see what all the stakeholders are offering. Saro Agro is a bit of an exception to most of the other players with our wide range of products for small scale to commercial farmers.”

Herman Rohm is in charge of Saro Agro’s tractor division. “We offer three brands of tractors - Tafe from India, Kubota from Japan and Landini from Italy,” he says. “Our Landini tractors range from 20 hp to 350 hp (14,7 to 257 kW), the two Kubota models we offer deliver 85 hp and 95 hp (62,5 and 70 kW), and the Tafe range stretches from 35 hp up to 100 hp (26 to 73,5 kW). Our biggest seller is Tafe which is quite big in the emerging and

Herman Rohm, Saro’s Tractor Manager, says more and more tractors are supplied to small and mediumscale farmers. small-scale market. Some financing is available for small and medium-scale farmers through Agleaseco.”

Saro Agro also serves the councils who use a large number of Tafe tractors with trailers for refuse removal, and they regularly tender for government departments. According to Herman, this is also a secure and growing market.

Without a sufficient, prompt supply of spare parts, even the best tractor becomes a piece of useless metal.

Therefore, Saro Agro carefully maintains proper stock levels to keep all the trac-

The Kubota is a high-quality tractor and Saro can offer it in package deals with implements.

ProAgri Zambia 40

A proper trailer is an essential piece of equipment on any farm to perform tasks such as removing waste, transporting labourers and moving equipment.

Visit Saro’s website at www.sarozambia.com, contact Calvin Salah at +26 (0)97-5714426 or +26 (0)21-138-70009/241477 or send him an e-mail to calvin.s@saroagri.co.zm to find out more.

31

Agritech

Tractors and implements for every farmer:

tors they supply running at all times.

“Spare parts are expensive to keep in stock, but we are compelled to have them ready to supply our farmers. That is what the customer needs. His tractor has to be fully operational at all times,” Herman says.

Saro Agro’s sufficient spare parts go with their capable and well-equipped field service teams. “Unlike a motor car, you can’t drive your tractor in for a service. We have four service teams working from Lusaka, and one each in Mkushi and Kitwe, so we don’t have to cover these areas from Lusaka. We are planning to expand this service, especially for our smaller farms,” he says.

Combination sales are a well-received concept in Zambia. Even for the emerging and small-scale farmers, sales packages are very popular. At Saro Agro, the customer can buy his tractor in combination with a plough, sprayer, ripper, planter, or even more of the implements. Commercial farmers would generally buy a new tractor that requires a new implement with it. “Sometimes we sell a tractor with a generator. There is always need for something from our huge variety of products,” Herman says.

Japhet Mwaijibe is an engineer and Deputy Works Manager at Saro Agro, involved in marketing and manufacturing. He says: “We manufacture trailers designed to be drawn by tractors.

We build different sizes, from one to sixteen tonnes, in flatbed, drop-side or tipping configurations. A customer can also order a custom-made trailer where we will do the design, or get the specifications from him.”

Saro Agro’s tractors, trailers and wide variety of other products are also available at their branch outlets in Lusaka, Livingstone, Chipata, Mpongwe, Kitwe and Mkushi, and they also have sub-dealers that market their tractors.

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Control pests to increase your yield

by Benine Ackermann

Confidor Confidor controls main insect pests, including termites and aphids, and is registered for use on tobacco, vegetables and other crops. It has a long duration of control, it is a broad-spectrum insecticide and is stable over a range of soil pH conditions. It also provides stress tolerance in crops against biotic and abiotic factors.

Bayer’s friendly staff at their stand at the Agritech Expo.

B

ayer's mission "science for a better life" supports the aim to improve the lives of farmers, consumers, as well as the environment through science.

A farmer’s fields, the weed species and temperatures change constantly, therefore new products are needed to suit a farmer’s changing needs.

Bayer is an innovation-driven company that offers the best crop protection for farmers by continuously developing the right product for his needs.

“Bayer offers solutions for farmers and protects their crops right from the beginning,” Geoffrey Matutu, Market Development Manager Zambia for Bayer, says.

“A farmer cannot say because they use a crop protection product everything will be okay. They need to have a good foundation in the form of a crop protection programme that provides for all the relevant aspects,” he adds.

Bayer is committed to support the small-scale farmer. “They often do not have the right access to the right procedures and products. For example, if you are looking at maize, a small-scale farmer gains two tonnes a hectare and commercial farmers eight tonnes per hectare. We want to push the smallscale farmer up to four tonnes if we can.

In order to reach this target, they need

Geoffrey Matutu, Market Development Manager Zambia for Bayer, at their stand at the expo.

ProAgri Zambia 40

to understand what they can do to increase their yields. They are often very price sensitive, so they will leave something out because of the price. At the end it is actually cheaper to do something than not to do it,” says Geoffrey.

Bayer's products: • Fungicides Bayer’s fungicides protect plants from diseases, enabling them to deliver the best possible yields. A farmer can apply fungicides multiple times and even shortly before the harvest.

Nativo Nativo consists of two active components: Tebuconazole (200 g/ℓ) and Trifloxystrobin (100 g/ℓ). Tebuconazole is a dimethyline inhibitor (DMI) that interferes in the process of building the structure of fungal cell walls. Trifloxystrobin interferes with respiration in plant pathogenic fungi.

Nativo is a broad-spectrum fungicide with protective and curative action which offers not only a disease control, but also improves the quality and yield of the crop.

This fungicide gives broad spectrum control of targeted diseases, with flexibility in application time and it enhances yield and improves milling quality.

• Insecticides Farmers have to protect the insects that help them while getting rid of the ones that don’t. This is why Bayer only develops insecticides that are safe when used responsibly and correctly, but are not harmful to human beings or the environment.

Bayer’s insecticide can be applied multiple times and even shortly before

Thunder Thunder is a broad-spectrum pesticide that controls biting and sucking insects such as aphids and lepidopters in all crop growth stages. It has a dual action, fast and effective knockdown effect plus systematic, long-lasting efficacy. It also fits low-volume applications.

• Herbicides Farmers need the right herbicide protection to have strong plants.

Auxo This herbicide controls broadleaf and grass weeds in maize. It is powerful, quick-acting and reliable. It facilitates rapid control of weeds after treatment (5 to 7 days), thus eliminating any competition with the maize and ensuring consistent efficiency in weed control, and is supported by built-in safener technology.

Our journalist, Annemarie Bremner, interviewing Geoffrey Matutu at their neat Bayer stand.

Contact Bayer at +26(0)21184-7755/8 or +26(0) 96-6212729 or send an e-mail to: ken. bowker@gmail.com. You are also invited to visit their website at www.cropscience.bayer.co.za for more information on their products.

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Bayer Crop Science Division:

the harvest.

Belt SC 480 This insecticide is formulated to control budworm in tobacco, certain vegetables and other crops. It can also defeat the fall armyworm which is a well-known pest that hampered harvest the past year or two. It offers long-lasting control of caterpillars, is suitable for resistance management, less harmful to the user and environment, and has a minimal effect on beneficial insects. It is taken up within four hours.

Agritech

Farming evolves up to its highest form: JCB

by Du Preez de Villiers JCB means small turning circles and a long reach.

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he evolution of farming was demonstrated by AFGRI at their Agritech stand to depict the development of equipment used on small, up to huge commercial farms. AFGRI is a massive agricultural mechanisation dealership and supplies from the smallest hand-planter to the most sophisticated JCB TLBs and material handlers, which are indispensable in big commercial farming enterprises.

“Our alliance with the JCB brand started in the year 2016 in Zambia.

It happened even before we reached out to them in South-Africa,” Etienne Meyer, Marketing Manager of AFGRI Mechanisation, says. “We saw the rise in commercial farming in Zambia and JCB had to fill an important gap in the material handling range.”

Since then, the growth in JCB machines increased in terms of sales as well as in different models required in this developing country. “In the beginning we only offered one or two TLB’s and a telehandler, but now we sell wheeled loaders, mini to heavyline excavators and skidsteers.

“This had a huge impact on our business,” Etienne says. There was a need for big excavators since commercial farmers had to build dams. JCB and AFGRI were ready to help. “With that development, more favourable prices and being able to be in the near vicinity of the end-user followed suit.”

Agricultural business depends on understanding the farmer’s circumstances and representation on the ground. JCB has full trust in the representatives from AFGRI to build their JCB relations by adding their products to the representatives’ sales portfolios. JCB provides intensive training on all their products to dealers, for the purpose of ensuring that the grower experiences the best overall after-sales care. Live telematics have allowed us to pre-empt possible large failures by allowing our service professionals to see minor issues before they become catastrophic issues. This 34

has blazed the way for JCB equipment in terms of after sales experience and record breaking reaction times.

JCB offers a standard, one-year, unlimited hours warranty on their machines. This is very beneficial for a wide spectrum of owners, from the light or occasional user to contractors. “Everything is covered in that one year without any time unit limitations,” Etienne says.

Stepping into the material handling realm is a huge initial capital cost, but Etienne believes in his products and knows how to highlight the benefits…

“The first thing to convince a farmer to go the handler-way is to demonstrate the concept. This is where a farmer experiences the value first hand, because efficiency and time saving are huge attractions. Nowadays you also need a mode of transport that can negotiate any terrain, pick up heavy materials and items and turn in tight circles in confined spaces. Yes, labour is still cheap in many areas, but it is becoming more expensive and taking longer

to administrate.” The cotton industry is one example where handling equipment is non-negotiable. Some of those bales weigh up to two tonnes…

The JCB 3CX ECO Agri Specification is currently AFGRI’s most popular product. It is their premium model in the range, and boasts all kinds of integrated technology and functions like ECO mode to lower engine RPM while delivering top hydraulic flow to the loader and backhoe, as well as the Q-fit carriage to easily change attachments.

Sales of the ever popular 3DX are also gaining momentum. This model has the same working capacity as the 3CX, at a very attractive price, albeit slightly lower in specifications and features.

AFGRI stocks all the important service parts at their branches in Lusaka and Mkushi. They can also fly in less frequently needed parts from their many branches in South Africa. When the situation is more critical, AFGRI Equipment can source from their JCB partners in the mining industry. Most of the parts are common in both sectors.

"We at AFGRI Equipment believe that farming moves through several stages of evolution and we want to reaffirm our position that we are there for every step of the way from small handheld devices to large self propelled equipment, to make farming more efficient and to grow our clients and their farming interests through equipment, training and after sales care," says Etienne Meyer.

Nothing digs a trench as quickly as a JCB TLB.

Daniel Erasmus, Sales Engineer JCB Agriculture, has reason to be proud of the JCB 530-70 Loadall Telehandler.

Handle your precious produce with care with a JCB. Contact the AFGRI branch in Lusaka at +26(0)21-127-3762, call Etienne Meyer at +27(0)82331-3179 or send an e-mail to emeyer@afgri.co.za to find out more. Also visit www.afgriequipment.co.za for more information ProAgri Zambia 40

by Michris Janse van Rensburg

Michris Janse van Rensburg from Backsavers gave a hand planter as a gift to His Honourable, President Edgar Lungu during the recent Agritech show.

A

ff ordability and longevity of equipment are two of the major factors in the decisions made by small-scale farmers. With small steps, small-scale farmers are changing the image of the national agriculture profile. But only quality, understandable and inexpensive equipment will raise them up from subsistence hand planting.

During the recent Agritech Expo, AFGRI Equipment and Michris Janse van Rensburg stole the show with his innovative Backsaver equipment. Backsaver products include a wide range of handheld planters and fertiliser applicators.

Backsavers also made a huge impact on the Zambian market at AgriTech.

AFGRI Equipment has always seen the value in investing early in grower evolution. "We have been looking at different solutions to effectively help subsistence and small-scale farmers to achieve better food security as well as to generate more income and yield to effectively progress to small-scale commercial farming. We believe that the products supplied by Backsaver are built for African requirements and conditions, with proven material components and concepts. We are looking forward to the journey in scaling Agriculture as a whole in Africa; we are here to accompany our growers and provide assistance in their quest for success," says Etienne Meyer, Marketing Manager AFGRI Equipment. This huge achievement was celebrated by allowing Backsavers to be part of AFGRI’s Evolution of Agriculture demonstration at the show. BacksavProAgri Zambia 40

ers covered the small-scale section demonstration.

As a passionate and experienced crop farmer in the centre of South Africa, Michris’ first hand planter concept was born out of the need to fill in gaps left by his tractor driven maize planter. He perfected the design and then also ventured into designing hand fertiliser applicators.

From there on, Backsavers grew rapidly and conquered the African continent with their practical and easy to use equipment. Backsavers is now the leading manufacturer of small-scale crop farming equipment in Africa, and they are ready for the Zambian market.

Normally, it is very difficult for smallscale farmers to apply fertiliser correctly. Backsavers came to the rescue by offering the correct calibration of fertiliser placement.

Michris believes that the same rules apply for a one ha farmer and a thousand ha farmer when it comes to spacing of seed and planting at the optimum depth.

Backsavers has two kinds of planters available in Zambia: 1. The famous Backsaver hand planter is used by more than 10 000 farmers all over Africa. It plants at the optimum depth and an adjustable spacer ensures that all the seeds are planted at the correct spacing.

2. The Backsavers Combi planter is a push and pull planter. It can plant different seeds like maize and soya beans. Because the Backsaver Combi planter uses coulters to open the plant row, it is easy to pull, even by two men. It is also suitable to be pulled by an animal. It can plant and place fertiliser at the same time.

Backsavers designs planters for almost all kinds of seed.

Backsavers has three types of fertiliser applicators available in Zambia: 1. Deep placement applicator 2. Topdressing applicator 3. Single shot applicator (5 g or 2,5 g per shot)

Backsavers’ fertiliser applicator was a huge magnet at the AFGRI stand at Agritech.

The wheel applicator’s calibration is determined by gears and it is very accurate at any walking speed.

For more information, Contact Michris Janse van Rensburg on Watsapp at +27(0)73-454-4111 or e-mail michrisjvr@gmail.com.

Contact Katuna Sinyangwe at AFGRI at +26(0)21-127-3759, +26(0)96-677-8010 or send an e-mail to ks@afgri.com.zm for more information.

Backsavers’ planters are practical and affordable, and will ensure significant progress in the small-scale farming sector.

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Agritech

Saving your back is the first step in mechanisation

No. 11 Thora Crescent, Wynberg, Sandton, 2090 +27 (0)11 036 1562 | info@mipower.co.za | www.mipower.co.za

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ProAgri Zambia 40

For the best results, plant DEKALB maize

by Benine Ackermann

F

armers flocked to Bayer’s stand at the Agritech Expo in Zambia to admire DEKALB cultivars. What they could see, was the result of months of careful planning and preparation. They planted demonstration plots of their three key hybrids in time to be ready for show-off during the big event.

Most Zambian farmers produce on dryland, therefore most of the cultivars offered are intended for dryland production.

DEKALB varieties are high yielding, drought tolerant, and resist diseases such as leaf rust, maize streak virus (MSV), grey leaf spot (GLS), and diplodia. DEKALB hybrids respond to good management and yields can be enhanced by adopting good agronomic practices.

The Bayer team members focussed on 3 key hybrids, with special Zambian names to remember them by: DKC90-89 – “In Zambia, this cultivar is called a Ngao-ngao, meaning the real or original one. It attains the best yields as a medium maturity hybrid with double cobbing, medium height, and very good grain quality,” says Rafael Mutale, agronomist for Bayer in Zambia.

“It is planted at a stand of 55 000 to 60 000 per hectare and takes 110 to 130 days to maturity,” he added. The yield potential is 40 to 44 bags/acre (8 to 10 t/Ha) and it has good disease tolerance against GLS, rust and MSV. DKC80-33 is called Tamanga. “It means run, because it is a fast grower that takes only 100 to 150 days to maturity,” says Rafael.

ProAgri Zambia 40

“You can also use it for green mealies and it has the potential to carry two cobs on each plant.”

This variety has a good standability and stability, it is a reliable yielder even under poor growing conditions, shows good tolerance to drought, leaf diseases and cob rot, and yields semi-dent type and hard grains. Potential yield is 34 to 36 bags/acre (7 to 9 t/Ha).

DKC777 variety was launched at last year’s Agritech Expo. “We call this cultivar Shoma, which means trust. You can

Rafael Mutale, agronomist for Bayer, shows DKC90-89 maize at the recent Agritech Expo.

DKC777 was launched at last year’s Agritech Expo. Farmers can trust this product 100%.

Visit your closest Bayer outlet or visit www.DEKALB.co.za for the best maize for your farm.

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rely 100% on this product, especially during dry spells,” says Rafael.

“It is a stable, medium maturity hybrid with double cobbing, excellent grain quality, yield stability and heavy grain. It has good poundability and excellent standing ability.”

The best of all: This product has excellent disease resistance (GLS, blight, rust and cob-rot as well as maize lethal necrosis (MLN).

“We are marketing this one in Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, and Nigeria,” Rafael added.

Farmers in Zambia enjoy the best benefits of Bayer’s international research and development of seed suited to the customer’s needs. When a farmer adds good management to the mix, he will stand in awe with the success of his harvest. Vast resources are spent to drive the development and full understanding of all the hybrids.

Developing a new seed cultivar for the market can take more than a decade before it is released. First there is all the research and then the government needs to approve it. Feedback from farmers are welcomed!

Agritech

Big or small, AFGRI will keep you farming

by Annemarie Bremner

“W

e support everything we sell, from the smallest hand fertiliser spreader to the largest combine harvester,” says Katuna Sinyangwe, Sales & Marketing Manager, AFGRI Equipment Zambia.

AFGRI Equipment enjoyed the opportunity at Agritech to spend time with their clients. There is no doubt that the past two years have been difficult for farmers with unusual weather patterns and low commodity prices.

“We want our customers to know that, even in bad times, we are here to support them. We can also see that there is an improvement in everybody’s outlook. The first quarter of 2019 is more promising than last year,” he says.

AFGRI Equipment invested heavily in the right skills for technical support, and their technicians receive training on all the equipment they sell. “We have the skills, we have the workshops 38

and services, and we have the spares and the logistical support to obtain the spares we don’t have.”

To be successful in the agricultural sector in Africa, you need to be resilient and be able to adapt. Katuna says farmers are looking for improved production and other avenues than the traditional ways of maize farming to generate income.

Small-scale farmers are exploring crops such as soya beans, wheat and vegetables.

He says: “They need higher yields in small areas, and we are here to help them. With the right farming practices, you can increase your yield without adding to your production costs.

“We do not only sell equipment; we offer solutions. We also help famers to find financial solutions and we are constantly expanding our range of equipment to cater for all farmers and farming conditions.”

Katuna Sinyangwe from AFGRI welcomed Xander Pieterse from ProAgri to their stand where a range of ProAgri issues were on display.

ProAgri is also an AFGRI supplier, by supplying the information farmers need, says Katuna.

The AFGRI stand at Agritech was once again a beehive of activity with crowd-drawing demonstrations of the best agricultural equipment available to farmers in Zambia.

On the tractor side the focus fell on the popular 5E series, also demonstrating the new 80 to 90 hp (59 to 66 kW) tractors, filling the gap between the lower kW and higher kW range.

On the equipment side, suppliers such as LEMKEN, Falcon, Orthman, Rovic Leers (Krone), JCB, Backsavers, and of course John Deere showed the quality of their products.

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Agritech

See the action!

Watch this space!

Farmers should be on the lookout for the new model 4WD 3B-series coming to Zambia. The 3045B and 3050B high spec small tractors will be launched in a few weeks at very competitive prices.

Contact Katuna Sinyangwe at +26(0)21-127-3759 or +26(0)96677-8010 or send an e-mail to ks@afgri.com.zm to become an AFGRI-farmer.

ProAgri Zambia 40

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Namadzi Agricultural Suppliers opens the world of mechanisation

by Gerhard Potgieter

Cephas Kabanda, one of Namadzi Agricultural Suppliers’ senior sales representatives in the field, explains the finer details of their implements to the farmers at Agritech.

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assion for your products will take you a long way, and farmers respond very well to a company who loves and knows what they are doing. Namadzi Agricultural Suppliers is willing to take charge of a farmer’s uncertainties and to walk the extra mile with him or her.

Their stand at Agritech was a magnet for farmers wishing to take the next step to mechanisation. They offer a wide variety of implements for small and medium sized farms. The brightly painted implements arranged around the stand and the friendly and helpful staff mem-

bers convinced farmers that Namadzi is indeed a company supplying implements and service they can rely on.

Namadzi Agricultural Suppliers has now been in operation in Zambia for just over seven years. They sell a wide variety of planters, mowers, dam scoops, tillers, sprayers and grain handling equipment. They also sell five-ton dumper and steel deck trailers. This is a wide and comprehensive selection of useful implements for their target market. The Trojan tiller and the NJ 122 plough are two of the most popular brands.

They also have three consultants working in the field, providing expert technical information, after-sales service and help wherever they can with objective advice on the best use of their equipment, decisions on implements needed, and rendering whatever support and assistance a farmer may need.

Going places Cephas Kabanda, Senior Sales Consultant, said: “We operate a mobile training facility for the farmers, staffed with professional operators who demonstrate the machinery. The courses are presented throughout Zambia at various venues. A minimum of six students are needed. They are carefully trained over a four-week period. At the end of the course, they receive certificates of attendance and are then fully certified operators of Namadzi Agricultural Suppliers.

Cephas and his team are quick to offer solutions and to sort out special issues for individual farmers. The farmers at Agritech had the perfect opportunity to do just that and to ask questions and discuss the equipment face-to-face with their supplier. Cephas says: “We pride ourselves on our aftersales service. It is available 24 hours a day, and should the farmer require any spare parts not available locally, it will be sent to him as soon as possible, either by bus service or one of our service vehicles. However, our implements are known for their durability, ease of maintenance, as well as the availability of spare parts.”

As an original Zimbabwean company, they will also export to South Africa should the need arise.

Likando Obby Muchindu, Sales Consultant; Thapiwa Bangomwe, Sales Consultant; Samson Sakala, Tractor Mechanic and Driving Instructor and (front) Nancy Kazimbiri, Admin Clerk, form the backbone of Namadzi Agricultural Suppliers.

Humprey Kalusa, Admin Director; Jealous Madziva, Owner; Mary Machingaidze, Client Relationship Officer; and Cephas Kabanda, Senior Sales Consultant, are always ready to give farmers the benefit of their expertise.

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Proper mechanisation is within your reach with Namadzi Agricultural Suppliers. Contact Nancy Kazimbiri at +26(0)21-123-2289 or +26(0)92-199-55053.

ProAgri Zambia 40

Alfred Nosenga, Research Facilitator at K2 Seed, has reason to be proud of their new drought tolerant KKS603 cultivar.

Just what the farmer wants: K2 Seed Marketing puts magic in their maize

by Du Preez de Villiers

F

armers attend shows to see new and exciting things, and K2 Seed Marketing did not disappoint them at the recent Agritech 2019 show.

Alfred Nosenga, Research Facilitator at K2 Seed, was very keen to tell farmers about their latest innovations.

“We are quite happy to be at the show simply because we have the chance to show our farmers the new and current cultivars we have on the market and what is in the pipeline. We have some excellent commercial varieties as well as varieties suited for small-scale farmers,” he says.

For the farmers who don’t know yet, all the names of K2 Seed’s maize seed cultivars start with the letters, KKS, which stands for K2 Seed. The second part of the name consists of three digits, for instance 603. The first digit will be between 1 and 9 and indicates the maturity period. Early maturities can be distinguished by the lower first number. If the last digit is an even number it indicates yellow maize, and odd numbers are allotted to white maize cultivars.

New white cultivars The three white cultivars at the stand were KKS603, KKS607 and KKS609.

They are all classified in the medium maturity range and take 130 to 132 days to mature.

KKS603 offers high yields and is also drought tolerant. KKS607 has the same ProAgri Zambia 40

properties as KKS603, but it contains a revolutionary ‘stay green’ gene. This gene has the ability to keep the whole plant green until the cob reaches maturity. It produces high grain yields and offers more nutritious, tastier and better digestible stover for animal feed.

Apart from the above-mentioned properties, these three varieties produce semi-flint grain. K2 Seed found the sweet spot between flint and dent kernels, by breeding a semi-flint cultivar. Dent kernels are soft enough, and flint kernels are too hard for weevils to penetrate, but the millers complain about the processing capacity of flint

Experimental maize tests K2 Seed also experimented with a number of very early maturing varieties on their plot at the show. “We have a very early maturing variety which matures in 90 to 100 days. It will be in the region of our 3-series. It was planted three months ago and is already in an advanced stage of maturity. We are looking forward to presenting it to our farmers within the next two years.

We also have early maturing varieties in the 4-series and plenty in the 5-series range, which are also coming through soon. We will also get some in the 6-series, which will support, and promise to do better than our current 6-series range,” he says.

Silage When talking silage, more fodder material is always better. The best new variety K2 Seed offers is KKS609 since it is a very tall plant. KKS603 and KKS607 are also recommendable for making good silage.

“In response to demands from our farmers, we also bring in new varieties. Some cobs are thick and some are long, but ultimately, they give close to the same yields. They only differ in the number of kernels on the cob.

Some have 14 lines and more rows and others have 18 lines and fewer rows,” Alfred says.

You can’t get anything better for silage than KKS609.

The early maturing KKS501 is your answer to late rains. It will still reach maturity in time when planted later in the season.

Whether you want to grow as a commercial or small-scale farmer, do it with the help of K2 Seed Zambia. Contact Kevin Kleemann Wright at +26 (0)97-776-2111 or +26 (0)21-184-0965 or e-mail kevin@seedmarketing.co.za for more information.

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types. Semi-flint maize keeps both parties happy.

K2 Seed’s new early maturing variety on the market is KKS501. It takes 125 to 128 days to mature and dries down very quickly. “We brought it to the Zambian market because of the droughts that are becoming more frequent these days. When the rains are delayed, it can be planted later and still harvested in time. Farmers need something for a shorter season,” Alfred says.

Agritech

Plant SeedCo for peace of mind and profits

by Benine Ackermann

S

eedCo is well known for their thorough research legacies. They have been in the seed business in Africa for over 80 years now, and have pioneered the hybridisation agenda in maize seed in the region since 1960. They are pioneers in the release of maize streak and mottle virus resistant hybrids and also was the first organisation to address the grey leaf spot (GLS) disease pandemic.

They breed and distribute hybrid seed varieties for maize, wheat, soya beans, sugar beans, cowpeas, sorghum, groundnuts and vegetables. SeedCo became the first company in Africa to come up with a single cross maize hybrid variety SC 709 which was resistant to GLS. Guntila Muleya, Marketing Manager at SeedCo Zambia, tells more about their very impressive stand at the Agritech Expo. “SeedCo is happy to be a part of the show and to showcase what we have. Our live demonstration crops have been planted a few months ago so that they could grow to a stage where we can showcase yield components especially. The farmers are happy because they can see the different crop varieties we have with their own eyes,” he says.

Guntila adds that they do a lot of farmer facing at the show. “It is an opportunity for us to speak to our farmers. We don’t necessarily come to sell something.

We just want to exchange some knowledge and technology with our farmers.”

SeedCo has operations in most of the Southern, Central, East and West African countries, including Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda, Angola, the DRC, Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi and Tanzania.

They have developed various varieties in their quest to enable farmers to meet all the challenges of maize production. “We see a huge potential in agriculture, but there will always be challenges. Populations are growing.

More people mean more demands for food, and therefore we need to keep innovating,” says Guntila.

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SeedCo’s Crop varieties in the live demo plots at the Agritech Expo: SC 303 is an ultra-early hybrid maize variety that matures in 90 days. “This is Africa’s climate smart variety of choice for marginal rainfall regions, and the only variety that will give a farmer both income and rotation benefits in one season, for farmers in longer seasons who can grow it for green mealies in the first part of the season, and plant a bean crop in the same land after harvest. It is a flint hybrid that couples its food security attributes with excellent grain storability.” says Adrian Chibanga, Chief Agronomist at SeedCo Zambia.

“SC 419 is another early maturity hybrid that couples high yields with excellent storability and milling qualities.

I am sure you’re impressed with the double cobs on the plants as you can see”, he adds.

SeedCo’s SC 513 is their older, early maturing variety. “It’s been adopted by farmers in lower rainfall regions and the most loved as a green mealie option due to the size and taste of the cobs.”

SC 647 is SeedCo’s early to medium mature variety. “It has been on the market for four years now. It is the most flint variety on the market with yields of up to 11 tonnes per hectare.

Its good sister in that series is SC 637 which has very good acid tolerance,

Adrian Chibanga shows a healthy cob of white maize at SeedCo’s Agritech stand.

SeedCo’s various maize hybrids could be seen and discussed at the recent Agritech Expo. with yields exceeding 16 tonnes per hectare with very good management,” says Adrian.

The highest yielding hybrid in Africa, which is also latest maturing is SC 727.

“It is our and most farmers’ pride. It has given yields of up to 21,5 tonnes, although we sell it as a 14 tonnes variety,” says Adrian.

SC 719 is SeedCo’s most loved variety for silage and grain. “It is our current top of the range late maturing, well adapted and high yielding white maize hybrid (145 to 150 days to maturity). This variety has gone up to 21 tonnes per hectare, and has the most amazing drought tolerance traits. It performs well in both marginal and long season areas and years.”

Their SC 608 (yellow maize) is the top of the range in yellow varieties. It is suitable for irrigation and dryland production, and is a medium maturing (130 to 136 days) hybrid with double cobbing. “It is a drought tolerant maize hybrid that yields 13 tonnes per hectare. Our highest yield was 16,8 tonnes.

The plants on the borders of the field grow more double cobs because they get more sunlight,” says Adrian.

“From our basket of soya bean varieties, we have the SC Spike, SC Safari and SC Sepa that we are sending to market year on year. Our Product Development Department has both promoted advancing of newer varieties as well as phasing out of older varieties.

Currently, our SC Spike is the highest yielding soya bean in the region with a record of 6,8 tons per hectare, recorded on a 27 hectares piece of dry land.

As the winter approaches, we also provide farmers with wheat seed, and we are again market leaders in that space, because of the ‘winner’ attributes they have. Our vegetable basket also guarantees farmers an income throughout the year.”

For more information about SeedCo’s maize seed, visit their website at www.SeedCogroup. com or send an e-mail to: SeedCo@SeedCogroup.com ProAgri Zambia 40

Camco:

Foton Lovol tractors shine in Zambia

by Du Preez de Villiers The Camco stand at Agritech was busy and alive with the many useful products they have to offer to farmers.

K

een interest earmarked the Camco stand at Agritech and Sales Manager David Sakala was very impressed with the farmer turnout. “We had a good and productive time and the many feet through our stand were impressive. Agritech just proved again to be worthwhile, because the farmers appreciate the technology we bring into the country. These machines and equipment are going to change the way they will conduct their farming - it will improve their yields and productivity,” he says.

One of the highlights at the Camco stand was the launch of the brand new Foton Lovol tractor series in Zambia.

“This neat piece of equipment is brand new on the local market and Camco is their sole agent,” David says.

Foton Lovol tractors are made in China and are equipped with the wellknown and trusted Perkins engines.

These tractors have been running in China for some time now and they are very popular.

The Foton Lovol tractor range boasts the rapidly evolving and latest technology from China.

Foton Lovol tractors are dust resistant and strong. The power output of these 4-cylinder diesel engines and 8+8 shuttle gearboxes range from 35 hp (26 kW) up to 130 hp (97 kW). They

Camco Group Chairman Li Tie leading His Excellency Mr Edgar Lungu Republican Zambia President during the tour of the Camco stand.

Mr Li Tie, Camco Group Chairman, walking with His Excellency President Edgar Lungu through the Camco stand.

ProAgri Zambia 40

Become a Foton Lovol-farmer by contacting David Sakala at +26(0)71-442-861, +26(0)21184-7862, or send an e-mail to agroequipment-zm@camco.cn.

For more information visit their website at www.camco.cn or www.camcogroup.cn.

43

Agritech

are also equipped with a waterproof electrical system, which ensures that these fragile components won’t wear out easily.

The fuel consumption is very low, which is a huge attraction for farmers who have to cut costs wherever they can these days. Controlling your inputs very diligently can mean the difference between wealth and bankruptcy. The radial tyres on all wheels offer magnificent traction.

Camco offers a wide range of implements to go with these new and willing tractors. Their range includes ploughs, rippers, planters, sprayers, disc harrows and trailers.

Camco’s head office is in Kafue Road in the McKinney area in Lusaka. Their other branches in the bigger centres are in Kapiri, Kitwe, Solwezi, Choma and Chipata – where the farmers are.

They also have outlets in the north in Laupula province, where they work closely with Musika on their projects.

Agritech

Musika facilitates win-win relationships

by Annemarie Bremner

Pamela Hamasaka, Head of Corporate Affairs of Musika, is passionate about making agricultural markets work for Zambia by connecting the private sector and emerging farmers.

“W

hat you see here is a demonstration of what we work towards, to lead small-scale farmers to agri businesses that have the products and the services that they need to grow,” says Pamela Hamasaka, Head of Corporate Affairs of Musika.

Pamela is passionate about helping people, but not through handouts. Everything Musika does is aimed at helping people to develop ways to help themselves. The word, Musika, means market and that implies economic success.

Pamela says: “When we talk about the relationship between the farmer and the business, it does not just have to be a transactional relationship, we try to develop relationships that go beyond the transaction itself. We try to promote value-add services. We expect of the companies to also provide extension services to the farmer.

We believe the private sector has the knowledge, and experience, and they are best suited to pass on that knowledge to farmers.”

Musika facilitates commercial relationships between the private sector and the farmers by providing technical and financial support necessary to expand market opportunities.

“We help companies to extend their reach into areas where their technologies are needed, we buy down the risk for the private sector,” she says.

From its inception in 2011 Musika has been funded by the Swedish embassy.

Last year additional funds for specific projects were obtained from Irish Aid, Norad, and WorldFish.

With these funds Musika can utilise the market systems approach to develop interventions in nutrition, SME capacity building, and aquaculture, respectively.

460 000 people have benefitted from improved market conditions, over $40 million has been invested by the private sector, and 88 companies are involved in projects with Musika’s support.

Pamela says they are making a difference: “I have seen farmers grow from

Plant a Million helps emerging farmers to develop new opportunities by planting indigenous trees, while fighting off deforestation says Emanual Chibesakunda and René Potgieter.

44

nothing, never even thinking of mechanising, now eager for technology and improving their yields. They are hungry for knowledge and for them farming is no longer “business as usual”; they are now seeing it as a business venture and so they are all constantly looking for opportunities for growth.”

Farmers are now prepared to change their practices to achieve higher yields, and they are also prepared to diversify.

One of the successful projects displayed prominently at the Musika stand this year was Plant a Million. It has the dual purpose of fighting deforestation in Zambia by replacing the bush with usable trees and providing another means of income for farmers.

Emanuel Chibesakunda says 276 000 hectares are cleaned out in Zambia every year, which means 100 million trees are being cut down. Most of the wood is being used to make charcoal. $170 million of charcoal is traded in Lusaka every year.

Plant a Million aims to replace the trees with fruit trees or trees that can be used as fences or firebreaks. Essential oils and beauty products are also produced from some of these indigenous tree species.

Musika is involved in the project by helping to establish the largest greenhouse for indigenous tree saplings in Zambia. The greenhouse has the capacity to grow a million trees at a time!

Many businesses and farmers are growing together with the help of Musika. Some of the projects include using solar power, the recycling of plastic and improving livestock production with good feed and additives.

For more information on Musika visit www.musika.org.zm.

ProAgri Zambia 40

PERFECT FOR SMALL-SCALE FARMERS A BALANCED BIOLOGICAL PLANT NUTRITION SOLUTION SINCE 1966

LEACHING RESISTANT Example of ATLAS Programme for 4 tonnes Maize/Ha Application Basal @ Planting

Fert

kg/ha

N

P2O5

K2O

Ca

Mg

Sulf

Zn

B

Cu

Fe

Mn

Mo

ATLAS 11.4.5(19)ZnB

400

42.1

35

23.3

10.9

1.8

37.2

0.308

0.092

0.005

0.481

0.108

0.0004

Urea

90

41.4

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Top-Dress

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Fert Seed & Grain Ltd Making Zambia Green

full �me farmers is not easy. We “ Being pay close a�en�on to our inputs, because we’ve learnt the quality of what you put in, like seed, chemicals and Superfert fer�liser, determines the size of your bumper harvest. Ask any good farmer and they’ll tell you The Formula for Success.

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Use broad spectrum fungicides for prevention or treatment of various fungal infections!

Take care of fungus before it destroys your crops!

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Bundu feed troughs are the most effective and strongest tick dosing feeders on the market.

Bundu feeders work for cattle and all large game, from impala to buffalo and eland.

Bundu feed troughs are tested and suitable for game and cattle to effectively control ticks, flies and parasites. Use as little as 6 litres of dosing dip per month on our large 4-point tray and as little as 2 litres on our single-dose dipping tray to effectively treat game and cattle against ticks, flies and parasites.

The height of Bundu feed troughs is adjustable to suit every farmer’s specific needs. Feeding troughs are treated with a rubber layer on the inside to prevent rust, and all feeding troughs come with a 2-year warranty.

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Thinus Smit: +27 (0)83-602-7734 | thinus@bunducribs.com ProAgri Zambia 40

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See brochure instore for more details at Livestock Services Co-operative Society & Agrivet Africa

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Importers, distributors and retailers of agrochemicals, veterinary products, seeds, fertiliser and all farmers’ requirements www.lskagrovet.com

Tel: +260 211 235 881 / +260 211 231 689 Cell: +260 955 751 778 / +260 978 818 000 Plot 806, Lumumba Road opposite City Market. P.O. Box 32315, Lusaka, 10101, Zambia

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Copper belt

56

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Bolts and nuts - MS, HT, SS, EG Threaded bars - SC, EG Welding accessories Workshop tools - general

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Tel: +260 212 511242 Cel: +260 979 773 830 alves@imtec.co.zm

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Tel: +260 211 235383 / 221085 Cel: +260 978 217217 imtec@zamnet.zm

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ProAgri Zambia 40

PLANT A TREE FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT.WE ARE GIVING A TREE AWAY FOR EVERY PROPERTY YOU BUY

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