Wine Industry PAGE 1-2

SA Young Wine Show

Sauvignon Blanc South Africa

Wine Harvest Commemorative Event

Dairy Industry PAGE 3-5

South African Dairy Championships

Agri-Expo Qualité Awards Dinner

South African Cheese Festival

Livestock PAGE 6

Agri-Expo Livestock

Equestrian Industry PAGE 7

Sales

Ready to Run Sale

Cape Premier Yearling Sale

Shows PAGE 8

Member Shows

Member Shows Meeting

Youth PAGE 9

Youth Shows

Agricultural Schools

General PAGE 10-11

Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC)

US Woordfees

Western Cape Prestige Agri Awards

Agricultural Writers’ Association

Partners PAGE 12

Council

PAGE 13

Personnel

PAGE 13

Finance

PAGE 13

Conclusion PAGE 13

THE SOUTH AFRICAN YOUNG WINE SHOW GIVES WINEMAKERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE THEIR BEST WINES OF THE CURRENT VINTAGE.

The show dates back to 1833 when the Cape of Good Hope Agricultural Society presented the first wine show in South Africa. This makes the SA Young Wine Show the oldest wine competition in South Africa, presented for the 186th time this year. The show is the oldest of its kind worldwide.

The mission of the South African Young Wine Show is to judge the quality of wines that are still in their infancy, i.e. within the year of production – before they are finally blended and bottled.

In this way, the industry can give recognition to the production capabilities of a wine cellar. Very few of these wines are for sale or in their final form at the time of being judged.

The eight participating wine regions are Robertson, Worcester/Breedekloof, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Oranje-Vaal, Olifantsrivier, Swartland and Klein Karoo.

Champions are crowned in the following categories: Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Sémillon, Other White Cultivar, Dry White Blend, Sweetish Wine, Nobel Late Harvest, Pinotage, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Other Red Cultivar, Dry Red Blend, Port, Dessert Wine en Muscadel.

In addition to the SA championship trophies, the impressive General Smuts Trophy – introduced in 1952 – for the overall SA Champion Young Wine, was also at stake for the 67th time.

The outstanding wines of the 2018 vintage were announced at a glittering SA Young Wine Show gala dinner evening presented by Agri-Expo in the Stellenbosch City Hall on Saturday 25 August 2018.

A wooded Pinotage from Wellington Wines was crowned as the winner of the coveted General Smuts Trophy for the overall SA Champion Young Wine for 2018. This winning wine also received the AE Perold Trophy for the SA Champion Pinotage, as in 2017.

Orange River Cellars (ORC) Keimoes walked away with the laurels for the sought-after Pietman Hugo Trophy for the highest total points awarded to their five best entries. This producer also won a threesome SA Champion trophies. Bon Courage Estate from Robertson excelled with two SA Champion trophies.

Out of the 1 680 entries, 17 won SA Champion trophies, 49 achieved class-winner status and 99 received gold medals.

The Chairman of the SA Young Wine Show, Christo Pienaar, said that despite it being a very difficult year due to the drought in the Western Cape, the quality of the young wines that were judged was outstanding. He was also impressed that the winners of the SA Champion wines represent so many of the wine producing areas.

The General Smuts trophy for the SA Champion Young Wine of 2018 was awarded to Wellington Wines for their Pinotage (Wooded). Front: Reon Richter, Chris Smit, Francois van Niekerk (Cellar Master) and Erik van Wyk of Wellington Wines. Back: Johan Ehlers (Chief Executive Officer, Agri-Expo) and Christo Pienaar (Chairperson, South African National Wine Show Association).

W I N E I N D U S T R Y

S A Y OUNG WINE SHOW

WINE INDUSTRY I 2019 1

SAUVIGNON BLANC SOUTH AFRICA

Sauvignon Blanc SA appointed Agri-Expo to handle the cultivar organisation’s event management, public relations and administration from 1 January. Agri-Expo is responsible for day to day operations in collaboration with the Sauvignon Blanc SA management team.

2019 highlights included a rebranding from Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group to Sauvignon Blanc SA, with a launch event in celebration of International Sauvignon Blanc Day on 2 May at Janse & Co in Cape Town. Sauvignon Blanc SA's transformation furthermore included a re-designed website, integrated with social media platforms, and the addition of a bi-monthly technical blog and an e-newsletter.

Arno Cloete of FNB, Eunice Joubert of Agri-Expo and RJ Botha, Chairperson of Sauvignon Blanc SA.

Agri-Expo is responsible for the organising of the annual FNB Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc competition. Important annual dates are the opening for entries in July; judging in September; and the gala awards evening in October. A technical seminar based on the competition takes place in November.

VERITAS & QUALITÉ CHEESE

Agri-Expo partnered with the South African National Wine Show Association (SANWSA) to promote Qualité Cheese at the annual Veritas Awards function in the CTICC on 6 October 2018.

WINE HARVEST COMMEMORATIVE EVENT

The wine industry celebrates a special occasion in February each year when it commemorates the industry’s first vintage on 2 February 1659, as recorded by Jan van Riebeeck. This event takes place at SA’s oldest wine estate, Groot Constantia Estate, which was established in 1685 by the then Governor, Simon van der Stel. During this event the harvest is blessed and a special 1659 medal of honour is awarded to an SA wine icon. The medal has been awarded to significant role-players in the industry since 1974.

This year, the viticulturist Prof Piet Goussard was honoured. According to Dr Ernest Messina, Chairperson of Groot Constantia, “Prof Goussard has played a major role in training, research and technology transfer throughout his career and is a recognized expert in several important aspects of viticulture. His significant career achievements are testament to a professional life dedicated to the advancement of viticulture as a discipline and the SA grape and wine industries.”

The event is made possible with the financial support and partnership of Groot Constantia Estate, Die Burger, Standard Bank and Vinpro. Agri-Expo organised this event on behalf of the Groot Constantia board and the SA wine industry for the 4th time this year. The event included a connoisseurs’ dinner by Simon’s Restaurant, award-winning Groot Constantia wines and world-class entertainment by the Gugulethu Tenors.

Dr Ernest Messina (left) and Willem Jordaan (right) (Editor, Die Burger) with Prof Piet Goussard, recipient of the 1659 medal of honour for 2019.

W I N E I N D U S T R Y

WINE INDUSTRY I 2019 2

The South African Dairy Championships took place on 28 February 2019 at GrandWest and was adjudicated by 75 judges. It is the oldest dairy competition in SA, celebrating its 186th year of existence. This year, 882 products from 76 manufacturers were entered in more than 100 classes.

The 2019 team of judges

The purpose of the championships is to promote excellence in the dairy industry and to improve quality. The large number of entries is good news for the dairy industry, which is hampered by a sluggish economy and ongoing drought. 2019 saw several first-time entries and previous participants entered products in other classes, which indicates growth in product development of the existing manufacturers.

The championships is one of the only in the world that uses five judges per category to achieve a more accurate result. The judges’ comments are shared with participants with the aim to improve product quality, encourage innovation and promote excellence.

The SA Dairy Champions are the winners in each of the 107 classes in ten categories, namely cheese, butter, yogurt, dairy desserts, cottage cheese, ice cream, flavoured and cultured milk, dairy dips, milk and cream. Only a few products of exceptional quality are awarded the Qualité mark, which is recognized as the only mark of excellence for dairy products in SA. The Product of the Year is determined by a panel of five experts.

SA Dairy Championships judging

This year’s championships was attended by Beverley Schäfer, Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities. Schäfer said the championships is an excellent opportunity for agri-processors to compete nationally at a very high level of quality and innovation.

The 2019 SA Dairy Championships was made possible through partnerships with Lake Foods, Santam Agriculture, the Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO) and The Dairy Mail.

Johan Ehlers (CEO, Agri-Expo), Vernon Manuel (Dairy Specialist, DuPont), Leonard Majampa (Production Manager, DV Chocolates), Beverley Schäfer (Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities) and Lucio

Lepera (Dairy Specialist of Sacco Systems in Italy) at the

2019 SA Dairy Championships.

D A I R Y I N D U S T R Y

S O U T H A F R I C A N D A I R Y C H A M P I O N S H I P S

DAIRY INDUSTRY I 2019 3

DAIRY INDUSTRY I 2019 3

Belnori Boutique Cheesery’s St Francis of Ashisi, an artisanal cheese made from equal parts goat’s and cow’s milk, was crowned the SA Dairy Product of the Year at the Agri-Expo Qualité Awards Gala Dinner on 29 March 2019 at GrandWest.

The 2019 SA Dairy Product of the Year

Belnori has received several Qualité awards at previous Championships, but this is the first time they were awarded Product of the Year. The owners of Belnori, Rina and Norman Belcher, are world-renowned cheese makers who have won many international awards, including the Agri-Expo Award for “Best SA Cheese” at the 2018 World Cheese Awards in Bergen, Norway.

This year’s entries – 882 dairy products from 76 manufacturers – showed progress, innovation and creativity. Several new products were entered, including cheeses enriched with squid ink, activated charcoal and truffle sauce, and Halloumi presenting itself as a Braailoumi. Thirteen “new” manufacturers entered for the first time. A team of 75 judges, ranging from dairy technologists to chefs, named 101 products as SA Champions. Only 16 products were honoured with the prestigious Qualité mark of excellence, the only mark of excellence for dairy products in SA.

Belnori Boutique Cheesery’s Norman Belcher, Johan Ehlers (CEO, Agri-Expo), Rina Belcher and Bongi Nondzama.

Parmalat and Lancewood took the lead with three Qualité awards each. Clover SA and Fair Cape Dairies followed with two awards each. Belnori Boutique Cheesery, Ladismith Cheese Company, Rhodes Food Group, Klein River Cheese, De Pekelaar and Klippiesveld Kaas each received one Qualité award.

The 2019 Qualité winners

Agri-Expo expresses its appreciation to the partners of the Qualité Award Gala Dinner for their commitment to the development of the SA dairy industry: Synercore, Woolworths, Santam Agriculture, Lake Foods, Condio, MANE, Guth, the Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO), The Dairy Mail, ORCHEM and Octofin.

D A I R Y I N D U S T R Y

A G R I - E X P O Q U A L I T É A W A R D S D I N N E R

DAIRY INDUSTRY I 2019 4

THE SA CHEESE FESTIVAL HAS OVER THE PAST 18 YEARS BEEN ESTABLISHED AS SA’S MOST POPULAR OUTDOOR FOOD EXPERIENCE.

The 18th SA Cheese Festival from 26 to 28 April 2019 was an ever-innovative success. A record number of more than 170 exhibitors took part, with about a third of them new participants. The Saturday was sold out the earliest ever. Media exposure of more than R40 m was generated.

Exhibitors showcasing a variety of products

A highlight at the 2019 SA Cheese Festival was the high standard of products – of which the SA Dairy Product of the Year and the London Spirits Competition Gin of the Year, Deep South Distillery's Cape Dry Gin, testify.

The great variety of exhibitors contributes to the continued success of the festival. This year saw increased participation of international cheeses, especially from Italy and the Netherlands. A new addition to the Cheese Emporium was the Food Lover’s Piazza. Another novelty was the Craft Canopy exhibition area with a wide variety of wines, beers, sparkling wines and boutique gins – available at the festival for the first time. The Tasting Room was a great favourite among visitors, with well-known chefs offering six pairing demonstrations daily.

The Tasting Room offered 18 tasting sessions over 3 days

A number of small cheesemakers showcased their unique handmade products as part of the #Support #SmallCheeseMakers project in partnership with the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) and Absa. Visitors could enjoy innovative creations of some 50 exhibitors' niche and alternative products as part of the Cape Made Taste the Alternatives project, thanks to a partnership with the WCDoA. More than 30 recipes were specially developed for cooking demonstrations offered daily in the Cape Made Kitchen.

Positive feedback was received from visitors, exhibitors as well as partners about the new festival experiences, the grounds layout and the atmosphere. As this year’s festival dates did not include a public holiday, there was a decline in visitor numbers.

The Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, Beverley Schäfer, visited the 2019 SA Cheese Festival

D A I R Y I N D U S T R Y

S A C H E E S E F E S T I V A L

DAIRY INDUSTRY I 2019 5

The fifth Agri-Expo Livestock and the Groot Plaasproe, held at Sandringham from 11 to 13 October 2018, attracted nearly 16 000 visitors. The event was awarded “Best Trade and Consumer Exhibition” for the second year in a row at the AAXO (African Association of Exhibition Organisers) ROAR Exhibition Awards in February this year.

A highlight at this year’s show was the 20th National Championships of the SA Holstein Breeders' Society, hosted only for the third time in the Western Cape in the 106 years of the society’s existence. Breeders from various provinces convened for the show, which included a special function where recognition was given to industry legends. CS Puttergill & Son's Holstein Cow Damion Iona 12077 was named the National Champion.

The 20th National Championships of the SA Holstein Breeders’ Society was hosted at Agri-Expo Livestock

The beef cattle interbreed championships was won by a Simmentaler for the first time in the five-year existence of the show. The title BKB Supreme Beef Queen was awarded to Milagro Amy 1471, owned by Andrew Masterson of the Eastern Cape. It is the second year in a row that Masterson receives top honours in the interbreed championships. Tierwil Dimension's Abbigail 13010, owned by Rikus van Wyk of Tierwil Jerseys outside Porterville, was crowned the 2018 FNB Dairy Queen. Van Wyk described Livestock as "of international quality, with an exceptional atmosphere".

The 2018 FNB Dairy Queen

The 2018 BKB Beef Queen

Visitors could explore more than 150 exhibitions, meet 300 farm animals and watch top animals of various breeds compete with about 20 breeders' associations involved. Highlights included the SA Sheepdog Auction, the Western Cape Boerboel Show, the Cape Rabbit Club Spring Championship Show as well as International Pinotage Day tastings as part of the Groot Plaasproe.

The agricultural education programme for schools in partnership with the WCDoA was attended by almost 3 000 learners. A new addition was the Connect Agri exhibition, focusing on agricultural career opportunities. Media exposure of more than R20 m was generated.

L I V E S T O C K I N D U S T R Y

A G R I - E X P O L I V E S T O C K &

D I E G R O O T P L A A S P R O E

LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY I 2019 6

SALES

Cape Thoroughbred Sales (CTS) contracted Agri-Expo to run the logistics and stable care for their sales during the last financial year. Due to changes in the racing industry only two sales presented this year, namely the The Ready to Run Sale held at Durbanville Race Course and the Cape Premier Yearling Sale held at CTICC.

READY TO RUN SALE DURBANVILLE RACECOURSE: NOVEMBER 2018

117 horses were catalogued and 109 offered for sale – 99 were sold at an average price of R205 252. This year a new format was introduced with the gallops held on the morning of the same day as the Sale.

A participant at the Ready to Run Sale

Ready to Run Sale gallops at the Durbanville Racecourse

CAPE PREMIER YEARLING SALE CTICC CAPE TOWN: JANUARY 2019

The Cape Premier Yearling Sale at CTICC remains the flagship of the year. 226 young yearlings were selected, 217 offered for sale and the average price was R436 450 with 193 horses sold.

The economy had a definite impact on the amounts offered for the horses this year and the total revenue from the sales was lower than in the past.

The percentage of foreign purchases was 29% of the total sale, even though the African Horse Sicknes Protocols and exports to the EU has not been finalised.

The Cape Premier Yearling Sale at the CTICC

E Q U E S T R I A N I N D U S T R Y

EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I 2019 7

MEMBER SHOWS

This year, Agri-Expo once again acted as a sponsor to 14 sustainable agricultural shows who are members of the Society. These shows promote the image of agriculture and display a variety of agricultural products of high quality. Several National, Provincial and Regional Championships are held annually under the Agri-Expo banner at these shows.

Animals and other agricultural products are improving every year at these shows and championships, attracting considerable interest from across SA. In addition, there are also seminars, youth shows, shows for emerging farmers and poultry shows.

MEMBER SHOWS’ MEETING

International challenges and opportunities of agricultural show societies were in the spotlight during Agri-Expo's annual Member Shows’ Meeting held at Rhebokskloof in Paarl on 31 May 2019. Representatives from 14 different shows in the Western and Northern Cape attended this year's event. The purpose of the meeting is to exchange ideas between shows, stimulate new thinking patterns, discuss trends in agriculture, and co-ordinate show dates.

Member show representatives raised a glass of milk in celebration of World Milk Day

Johan Ehlers, CEO of Agri-Expo, shared international agricultural show trends that emerged at the Commonwealth's most recent Agricultural Congress, in November 2018 in Canada. Ehlers was one of 32 CEOs of agricultural organisations from 12 countries who attended this biennial congress. According to Ehlers, innovation in order to stay relevant and meet visitor needs in a changing world is a common challenge of agricultural shows worldwide. A focus on youth involvement is a major reason for the growing success of agricultural shows in the United States.

Volunteer involvement is a major gap in SA. In many countries, it is considered a privilege for the public to help for free and there even is a selection process because it is so popular. It can help greatly to save on staff costs. Agri-Expo is very grateful for existing community support, but would like to encourage more people to get involved in member shows first hand.

Nico de Waal (Clanwilliam Skou), Wilhelm Steenkamp (Williston Skou) and Hugo Lochner (President, Agri-Expo)

Breyton Milford, Operations Manager of Agri-Expo, gave a talk on the image of agricultural shows internationally following his participation in the ASAO (Association of Shows and Agricultural Organizations: UK) Shows’ Conference in November 2018 in Hampshire, UK.

Eunice Joubert, Marketing Manager of Agri-Expo, talked about relationships with partners, and Reinette Basson, Sales Manager of Agri-Expo, about managing exhibitors.

S H O W S

SHOWS I 2019 8

YOUTH SHOWS

Agri-Expo's commitment to youth shows dates back to 1999 when Agri-Expo took the initiative to establish the Western Cape Agricultural Youth Society and the National Agricultural Youth Society. Today Agri-Expo acts as a sponsor of the Western Cape Agricultural Youth Society. This is an independent organisation that strives for the promotion of agriculture among the youth in the Western Cape through youth shows.

Nine regional shows were presented, with more than 1033 participants, the most in the history of youth shows in the Western Cape. These regional shows were presented at: Swellendam (137), George (61), Clanwilliam (136), Nampo Kaap (73), Swartland (127), Riversdal (114), Malmesbury (123) , Heidelberg (125), and at Agri-Expo Livestock (137) learners. Participants at these regional shows must qualify to be invited to the Agri-Expo Western Cape Championships. During these regional shows students participate in the following categories: Horses, Dairy Cattle, Beef Cattle, Chickens, Mutton Goats, Angora Goats, Milk Goats, Wool Sheep, Mutton Sheep, Dairy Preparation, Pigeons and Culinary Arts.

The Junior Champion Wool Sheep group of 2018 hailed from the Western Cape, here with their coach Magdel Mosterd.

Training and development was done at various schools this year to promote Youth Show in the countryside. A new structure has been put in place within the Western Cape Youth Show to focus on development at rural schools.

The Agri-Expo Western Cape Youth Show Championships was held on 20 and 21 March 2019 in Bredasdorp. The standard of participants from all over the Western Cape was of high quality and the grounds of Bredasdorp Park was an excellent choice for the championships. A total of 144 learners participated in these championships.

The Old Mutual Insure National Youth Show Championships was presented in George for the first time this year. It was only the third time that the championships was held in the Western Cape. The Western Cape team once again prevailed and was crowned the champions for the 13th consecutive time.

Boer Goat winners at the 2018 National Championships, together with Leon Rix, Agri-Expo Council member.

AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS

Agri-Expo has a long association with the three agricultural schools in the Western Cape, namely Augsburg Agricultural Gymnasium in Clanwilliam, Boland Agricultural High School in Paarl and Oakdale Agricultural High School in Riversdale.

Bursaries are made available annually to these three agricultural schools to use at their prize-giving functions for students who excel in academic and agricultural areas throughout the year. Agri-Expo is proud of the quality agricultural education offered by these three agricultural schools in the Western Cape.

Y O U T H

YOUTH I 2019 9

ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF THE COMMONWEALTH (RASC)

Agri-Expo is a member of the RASC, the official voice of Agriculture in the Commonwealth. Founded in 1957 by its President, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, the RASC plays a pivotal role in the promotion of agriculture. Today the RASC is a confederation of more than 50 agricultural societies, research institutions and agricultural associations across the Commonwealth with HRH The Princess Royal as President.

28th Commonwealth Agriculture Conference, 2018

The Commonwealth's biennial Agriculture Conference is the RASC's main platform. Johan Ehlers, CEO of Agri-Expo and Trustee to the Board of the RASC, and Breyton Milford, Operations Manager of Agri-Expo, participated as speakers at the 28th Commonwealth Agriculture Conference in November 2018, in Edmonton, Canada. Milford has been a member of the RASC’s Next Generation forum, for agricultural leaders younger than 40 years, since 2008. Agri-Expo acted as facilitator with the WCDoA to ensure that Riana van Rensburg, Agriculture Advisory Officer from Clanwilliam, and Stewart van Rooy, emerging farmer from Wupperthal, were financially supported to attend the congress as Next Generation delegates. The Department also supported Milford as Next Generation delegate to attend the congress. The 29th Commonwealth Agriculture Conference will be held in June 2020 in Norwich, Norfolk, England.

Johan Ehlers, Eunice Joubert, Stewart van Rooy, Riana van Rensburg and Breyton Milford during the 28th Commonwealth Agriculture Conference in Canada

Second Agri-Expo leader elected to RASC Board

Breyton Milford, Operations Manager of Agri-Expo, followed in the footsteps of Johan Ehlers, CEO of Agri-Expo, to become a Trustee to the Board of the RASC. Only two seats on the Board are allocated to Next Generation members, a position Milford was appointed during the RASC’s Annual General Meeting on 10 June 2019 in Trinity, Jersey, the Channel Islands. Milford and Ehlers currently are the only two trustees from Africa.

Dr Ivan Meyer, Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, congratulates Breyton Milford with his appointment

30th Commonwealth Agriculture Conference, 2022

Agri-Expo will host the Commonwealth’s 30th Agriculture Conference in 2022. The congress will take place in the CTICC from 13 to 18 November 2022 and will be attended by some 300 delegates from 30 Commonwealth countries.

The congress is an ideal opportunity to focus the world’s attention on the South African agricultural environment and specifically the Western Cape. A promotional video can be viewed on the conference website www.rasc2022capetown.com.

GENERAL I 2019 10

G E N E R A L

US WOORDFEES

Mutton from the Hardemanskaroo to the Kamdeboo, Qualité cheeses, grass-fed meat and venison, as well as the FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 and other award-winning wines were some of the taste experiences presented to connoisseurs at the fourth annual Agri-Expo Agricultural Series from 1 to 10 March 2019 at the US Woordfees in Stellenbosch. This popular series featured nine tasting sessions with well-known food and wine personalities as presenters. With this initiative, in collaboration with its partners, Agri-Expo creates a unique platform to convey the image of agriculture to a wider audience.

FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 wines were paired with Qualité Cheeses at the Agri-Expo Agricultural Series

New tasting experiences included conventional versus grass-fed meat with experts from the Grass Fed Association of SA; distinctive site-specific Cape wines by Cape Vintner Classification (CVC); and 2018 FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition winners paired with award-winning Qualité cheeses. The King of the Karoo, Gordon Wright, was the presenter of a Sunday lunch in collaboration with Lamb and Mutton SA.

Chef Bertus Basson once again presented a Merino leg of lamb tasting, paired with Veritas award-winning red wines by Bennie Howard, Cape Wine Master and Veritas Vice-President. Another unique tasting was Konsortium-Merino, also paired with Veritas red wines. A Shiraz and game tasting featured Edmund Terblanche, Chairman of Shiraz SA. Charles Back of Fairview presented a tasting of innovative cheese and wine styles.

WESTERN CAPE PRESTIGE AGRI AWARDS

Agri-Expo is involved annually in the Western Cape Prestige Agri Awards, hosted by the WCDoA. The competition gives recognition to the important contribution of agricultural workers to the agricultural sector in SA.

The 2018 awards function was held at Nederburg Wine Estate in Paarl on 3 November. The prestigous Agri-Expo floating trophy for the Agri Worker with the Best Potential was awarded to Laurine Matsamburutsa from De Grendel Wines, Durbanville.

AGRICULTURAL WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION

Eunice Joubert, Marketing Manager of Agri-Expo, was re-elected Chairman of the Western Cape branch of the Agricultural Writers’ Association and Hugo Lochner, President of Agri-Expo, as Deputy Chairman.

The branch was responsible for arranging a visit to the 2018 Farmer of the Year, Pieter Graaff of Witzenberg Properties, from 28 February to 1 March 2019.

Agri-Expo once again, in collaboration with the Western Cape branch, hosted the 38th annual Agricultural Writers SA’s National BKB Photo Competition for agricultural media. All logistical arrangements and entries is handled by Agri-Expo staff.

GENERAL I 2019 11

G E N E R A L

DAIRY INDUSTRY QUALITÉ Condio GUTH Lake Foods Mane SA Milk Producers Organisation (MPO) & AgriConnect Octofin Consult Orchem Santam Simongsig Wines Synercore Holdings Woolworths SA CHEESE FESTIVAL Western Cape Department of Agriculture Président Hortgro ABSA Checkers Food Lover’s Market Hollard Ladismith Cheese Wesgro MPO & AgriConnect Waterloo Promotions Linton Park Simonsig Wines Tecko Packaging Oasis Water Life & Leisure Caxton Magazines MyKitchen Die Burger Bok Radio Landbouweekblad Eikestadnuus A Living Way The Private Hotel School Spier Fairview Deep South Distillery Grain SA

LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY AGRI-EXPO LIVESTOCK Western Cape Department of Agriculture Standard Bank Hollard Kaap Agri FNB GEA BKB Old Mutual Insure Old Mutual Afgri Santam Unistel MPO Nedbank Fair Cape Dairies Humansdorp Co-Op CLASS SPONSORS Leading Edge, Meadow Feeds, SA Holstein, WWS (W.Pringle), Ayrshire SA, SEMEX, DMC, Joyces Farms, Taurus Evolution, Afrivet OTHER Tecko Packaging, Oasis Water, Parmalat, Jonsson Workwear Checkers, Pick n Pay, Cozi Hiring MEDIA Landbouweekblad, Plaas Media, Bok Radio, Things to do with Kids, Die Burger, Eikestadnuus Food for Mzansi AgriConnect (Dairy Mail, Red Meat, Wolboer) US WOORDFEES Merino SA Veritas Shiraz SA Skaapvleis SA Fairview Konsortium Merino Grassfed Association of SA Sauvignon Blanc SA Cape Vintners Classification (CVC)

P A R T N E R S

PARTNERS I 2019 12

SEE PROJECT WEBSITES FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF PARTNERS

AGRI-EXPO WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL PARTNERS FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT

C O U N C I L

During February 2019, the Council held a Strategic Planning Session with the Management Team at Houw Hoek Hotel. At this event, the Council reconfirmed the Society's strategies and, after careful evaluation, gave instruction to proceed with all existing projects of the Society. It was with great sadness that we had to say goodbye to one of our serving Council members, Mr Lourens Smith, during 2019.

P E R S O N N E L Agri-Expo is privileged to function with a dynamic staff corps. Each individual contributes to the professionalism with which each project is conducted and is definitely the core of the Society's successes. Breyton Milford, Operations Manager, received the Youth Achiever Award at ALFA in September 2018 as part of the Standard Bank Merit Awards in Agriculture. Agri-Expo is grateful for staff members’ incredible commitment and has sincere appreciation for every staff member and temporary worker who contributes unselfishly to provide a service to agriculture.

F I N A N C E S

Over the past year we have once again realised that global markets are unpredictable and that the rate of change is undoubtedly accelerating. It remains a bumpy ride on markets plagued with uncertainties.

During the last quarter of 2018, emerging markets traded under pressure and the local economy was in recession. There were continuing economic and political problems. The JSE Overall Index closed at the same levels as in July 2014. It was definitely also the toughest year in international markets since 2008/09. The Chinese economy slowed to the lowest growth rate in more than three decades and a US-China trade war threatened to escalate.

Despite all these risks, stock markets began to recover. Consequently, the MSCI World Index strengthened by 11.8% in Dollar terms in the first quarter of 2019. The Overall Index increased by 7% during the quarter.

Unfortunately for local businesses, the picture remains bleak. South African sentiment remains negative, but any move in the right direction regarding political rhetoric and governance of the country can do wonders on the local stock exchange where many sectors are trading at low valuations. The Rand could also strengthen relatively quickly, especially with the US dollar likely to weaken over the next few months.

In the second quarter of 2019, political events kept markets on their toes. The most important was the trade war between the world's two largest economies. It overshadowed the elections locally and stymied any revival on the JSE. In May, US President Donald Trump announced additional tariffs on Chinese imports.

What made the month of June particularly interesting was that everyone had to watch the gold miners push up the JSE index, while the Rand rose significantly. The latter squeezed the returns of foreign equities and also local rand hedgers. There was also a significant weakening of the Pound which put pressure on UK investments. As a result, the overall stock market has yielded only 4.42% return over the past 12 months. However, it is gratifying that the Agri-Expo portfolio has delivered 10.58% over the past 12 months, while the average balanced portfolio has yielded only 3.24%.

CONCLUSION

The 2018/2019 financial year had many challenges, but also produced wonderful highlights and successes, despite difficult economic conditions.

Each staff member tackled the existing and new projects with vigor and enthusiasm and elevated the profile of Agri-Expo events to a higher level with their creative thinking and teamwork.

We are looking forward to the planned initiatives and actions for 2019/2020 that will place the Society's role and function in the public eye, in a striking and sustainable manner.

PERSONNEL I CONCLUSION I 2019 13 CONCLUSION I 2019 13