Jakkie Oosthuizen and his wife travelled more than 45 000 kilometres all over Zambia during the past few years. The one thing that astonished them was the friendly, receptive and engaging attitude of the people, from grass roots up to the president. “I believe this is ingrained in their culture and I felt safe and welcome wherever I went. If you add the long history of political stability, this country is in for the winning,” he says.

But Jakkie and his wife are not only travellers. They are on a mission to help with the massive challenges that agriculture face in Zambia. During their time in Zambia, Jakkie made an elaborate study of the agricultural possibilities in this landlocked country, and he is more than impressed. “There are an estimate of 42 million untapped hectares of good arable land all over the country. Since the major part of the country lies between 900 and 1 200 metres above sea level, the climate is perfect for all year round crop production, where you can plant almost anything.”

Over many years, Jakkie proved himself in the South African agricultural community, and for the last two years he employed by Senter 360. His new project is to establish this excellent pivot irrigation brand in Zambia.

Senter 360 has been in business in South Africa for 22 years, and their products are designed in Africa, for Africa, by South African engineers. The systems are rugged and fully able to handle our harsh conditions.

“We focus on quality and functional effectiveness, which will ensure that a farmer receives value for his capital investment,” Jakkie says. The structure of their pivots is 65% stronger than the required world standard, he claims. Little wonder there are already more than 5 000 Senter 360 pivots running in more than 12 other African countries, covering more than 140 000 ha of high-yielding crops.

“This country has a close to perfect environment for pivot irrigation. Zambia only receives rain between five and seven months of the year, but the water tables are on average only seven to fifteen metres deep in most areas, and the country has more than enough surface water. If you add the fact that there is almost no frost in the winter months, it means that a farmer can easily harvest two to three crops per year,” Jakkie says.

He also tested the water and soil quality all over the country, even in the Copper Belt, and he couldn’t find a single drop of water that is unfit for irrigation. Another bonus is the aggressive infrastructure development by the government, even in the remote areas.

Jakkie has big plans for Senter 360. To prove his sincerity, he decided to settle in Zambia with his wife, son and daughter-in-law, who will help him with all the challenges in the establishment of a new company. But expanding into Zambia means nothing if you are not willing to develop local skills and talent, especially in the pivot irrigation business, because designing, selling, installing and after sales service require many able hands.

“Initially we shall establish one central service point and warehouse where a farmer can obtain all the strategic parts for his pivot. Thereafter, we aim to expand all over the country. It is Senter 360’s policy to design and install a pivot system to suit every farmer’s particular needs, and we aim to create one-stop facilities for farmers,” Jakkie says.

Senter 360 Zambia will be fully supported by our head office and factory in South Africa,” says Theuns Dreyer, MD and owner of Senter 360.

“We are not only looking at commercial farmers, and we are investigating ideas to empower the smaller farmers into the next level of crop and pasture production.” One of Senter 360’s possibilities for smaller farmers is their water driven pivot for fields up to 3,8 ha. This is ideal for areas where power supply to the pivot itself is difficult.

For your ready-for-Africa pivot irrigation system, contact Jakkie Oosthuizen at +27-82-961-5043, +27-82-776-5973, or send him an e-mail to jakkie.senter360@gmail.com. Their user friendly website can be accessed at www.senter360.co.za.

Jakkie Oosthuizen, his son, Nico, his wife, Anita and his daughter-in-law, Chanel, will tackle the Zambian challenge through teamwork.