Senwes Scenario December 2017 - March 2018 | Page 18
••••
T RADE N E W S
Julias Ramohlabi
appointed member of PETFAFF
Training is his passion
Developing agriculture is the gain
JULIAS RAMOHLABI IS A
MAN WITH A TREMEN-
DOUS PASSION FOR
TRAINING. HE CELEBRATES
A DECADE AT SENWES
THIS YEAR, SINCE BEING
APPOINTED AS A JUNIOR
AGRONOMIST IN 2007.
AUBREY KRUGER
A
year later he was promoted
to agronomist and he
served in this capacity until he
became key account manager in
2015. He is now the manager of
the developing agriculture section
and is responsible for the total
portfolio.
He was appointed as a member
of the Provincial Education and
Training Forum for Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries (PETFAFF)
in the Free State recently, after
having been nominated by
Senwes.
He is honoured for having
been nominated and then to be
one of the select few to serve
on the forum. His immediate
response was that “it is an oppor-
tunity to make a meaningful
contribution towards developing
agriculture and the training of our
farmers”.
We asked Julias a few more
questions.
16
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE REGARDING
DEVELOPING AGRICULTURE?
“My main responsibility within
Senwes is to grow the developing
agriculture book and provide
access to finance, technical assis-
tance (mentoring) and access to
market.”
WHICH CROPS ARE YOU FOCUSING ON?
“We are focusing mainly on farm-
ers who are planting maize, sun-
flower, soybeans and wheat.”
WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES
FOR EMERGING FARMERS?
“The main challenges that affect
emerging farmers to access fund-
ing are: Lack of collateral, a thin
balance sheet, negative cash flow
and repayment ability.”
HOW DO YOU SEE DEVELOPING AGRI-
CULTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA?
“There is a good prospect of suc-
cess in the developing agriculture,
but government and private sector
need to work together.”
Agriculture, specifically the MEC
of Agriculture, regarding the
training of farmers and students
in respect of agriculture at large.”
HOW DO THE TWO POSITIONS RELATE
TO EACH OTHER?
“They complement each other
perfectly. I pursue intensive men-
torship to ensure smoother tran-
sition – the only way to transfer
skills is through training.”
WHAT NEEDS TO BE IMPLEMENTED
IMMEDIATELY?
“The Government should release
the title deeds so that the farmers
can access funding from financial
institutions or give credit guaran-
tees.” WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO, AND CHAL-
LENGES FACING SOUTH AFRICAN
AGRICULTURE?
“I am not a person who likes to
see boundaries being imposed on
me, just give me my freedom and
I’ll create my own boundaries.
The agricultural sector in South
Africa is constantly affected by
changes in climate, technology
and policies.”
WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
AS A MEMBER OF THE TRAINING
FORUM?
“My main responsibility will
be to advise the Department of “WHERE CAN PRODUCERS CONTACT
YOU?
They can call me directly on 018
464 7156, or send an e-mail to
[email protected].
DEC 2017-MAR 2018 • SENWES Scenario