Senwes Scenario April / May 2019 | Page 61

NEWS Tours reshape perspectives on the Agri-Industry  By Senwes Scenario Team High School visits the largest silo in the Southern Hemisphere The agricultural sector has, in the past, been shunned and categorized as one of the least important careers to pursue. But that’s about to change! The Curro Klerksdorp High School grade 10 and 11 consumer studies group recently took a tour to the Senwes Grainlink Wesselsbron Silo, which is “the largest silo in the Southern Hemisphere”. Project manager at the silo, Lodrick Barnard, started with an astonishing fact: “This silo can take up to 280 000 tons of grain”. He shared with them the ins and outs, from the cleaning to the loading of grain, of which “up to 7 000 tons are taken in daily. The grading process, insects that affect the grain and pesticides to destroy them. The group also visited the Greenpak processing facility where carrots are cleaned, graded and packaged before being supplied to Woolworths Food branches. This facility, situated about 30 kilometres from the Greenpak farm in Bothaville, is owned by Senwes director Nico Liebenberg, and all 600 hectares of land are utilised to cultivate carrots, butternuts and pumpkins. Consumer studies HOD at the school, Karen Kade said, “It is important to encourage young learners to be interested in farming because it is middle point of where we get our sustenance from”. Factory manager, Elize du Preez, pointed out that Greenpak is the sole supplier of carrots to all Woolworths branches in South Africa. This showed them that the agricultural sector is much more than just farming, it is also about growing the economy, feeding the world and preserving the soil in which our food grows. Even the perspectives of businessmen are changed The Wesselsbron silo and the Hinterland branch in town played host for a delegation from Nedbank. Senior silo manager Lodrick Barnard took the delegation on an interesting tour through the silo complex and was assisted by silo manager Johan Rheeder. One visitor, Salim Kadoo, was amazed at what happens behind the scenes as far as grain handling is concerned. “It was my first visit to a silo. From the outside you only see bins and city dwellers like me know nothing about the infrastructure inside the bins.” Barnard mentioned that visitors, and particularly people from abroad, are usually very impressed with the silo complex. Rheeder confirmed that the aim of visits such as this one is to convey interesting information to visitors and to show them how things work - information such as the fact that the first part of the Wesselsbron silo was opened 53 years ago, in 1966. Hinterland branch manager Johnny Bezuidenhout informed the group about the branch and agri- business in town. This tour formed part of visits by businessmen, schools and other organisations. The Curro Klerksdorp High School grade 10 and 11 consumer studies group took a tour to the Senwes Grainlink Wesselsbron Silo. Here is the delegation during their visit to the silo complex: Lodrick Barnard (Senior Silo Manager at Senwes Grainlink silo in Wesselsbron), Wikus Grobler (Senwes: Group Manager - Finance and Treasury), Corné Kruger (Senwes: Group Chief Financial Officer), John Hudson (Nedbank: National Head - Agriculture), Salim Kadoo (Nedbank: Provincial General Manager), Tabitha Strydom (Senwes: Group Treasury) and Herman de Kock (Nedbank: Executive Manager - Sales and Distribution). SENWES SCENARIO | AUTUMN 2019 59