Potatoes South Africa Congress 2024

Dialogue at the 2024 Potatoes South Africa (Potatoes SA) Congress & Potatoes Seed Growers Forum emphasised that the local potato industry has room to improve, needed time to unpack the situation and create space for improvement to transpire, said Potatoes SA CEO Willie Jacobs.

“There was a time of my life where I thought that we have reached the pinnacle of our capacity of agricultural production in South Africa. I did not expect these two days to change that mindset as much as it did,” he noted at the start of a panel discussion during which industry matters were discussed around the theme of the congress – 2050 is now.

Potatoes SA hosted the event on July 16 and 17 in Century City, Cape Town, which covered various topics across the value chain. AECI Plant Health was one of 30 proud sponsors of this valuable two-day congress that comprised 15.5 hours of dialogue presented by 26 speakers.

“The Potatoes SA congress was very insightful and it was a privilege to attend as a sponsor. It was lovely meeting the different stakeholders and being able to contribute to the discussion of producing potatoes more sustainably in South Africa. We look forward to walking alongside our potato producers in their journey to sustainability,” adds AECI Plant Health biologicals product portfolio manager Deidré Odendaal.

Last year, government reported that the sector employs an average of 55 000 people. The leading producers of the country's potatoes include Limpopo, the Free State, the Western Cape, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Potatoes SA and the Western Cape Department of Agriculture signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding in 2023, which committed both parties to growing the potato industry to advance economic growth and increase employment opportunities.

At the time, Jacobs said: “The potato industry is estimated to contribute at least R6.6-billion to South Africa's economy and contributes 30% to 50% of the fresh produce turnover in the country.”

Together with its network of knowledgeable crop advisors based across the country and an extensive product portfolio, AECI Plant Health is ready to help growers realise Potatoes SA’s vision for the sustainable farming of this staple food.