NAMPO Cape was held from 12 to 14 September 2018 at Bredasdorp Park. A wind of storm strength every day of the show, did not deter visitors or the region’s farmers from attending.  Rows of vehicles stood patiently at the entrance to get access to the parking area.

A large number of agricultural exhibitors supported the show. For the women folk there were special exhibitions and a discussion programme – “A nation in Discussion” – was actively supported. There were enough booths with innovative food items to feed the hungry mass.

Even though NAMPO Cape, as a first effort, only equalled a quarter of NAMPO Bothaville, it is predicted that it will show appreciable growth next year.

The Santam umbrella really offers insurance in a variety of forms to the farmer. They insure anything – from a drone to a tractor including the tractor’s GPS system. They also believe in always being in the lead in their industry. Niel Esterhuyse, Santam’s marketing manager, Pieter Plaatjies, Santam area manager, and Xander Pieterse of ProAgri at the Santam Agricultural booth.

Irene Hart and Kevin Lesser of John Deere and Xander Pieterse of ProAgri met in die BKB Hall, the biggest hall on the showgrounds.

Philip Versfeld, agricultural consultant, Rudi Jansen van Vuuren, agricultural marketing manager, and Herman Steyn, Gundle’s sales representative for the Eastern Cape, at their exhibition. Gundle Plastics distributes dependable plastic dam linings for earth dams. It is installed on the farm and enables the farmer to harvest and save water productively.

Fuel is an expensive item. That is why Kanna Brandstof (Fuel?) introduced their new JOLT electrical 3 kW motorcycle during the show. Kanna Fuel’s Willa Nolte says the motorcycle can run at 90 k/ph. “It has a range of up to 100 km before battery recharging is necessary. It is perfect for farm use,” he says. The motorcycle generated a lot of interest during the show. 

Nichol Schreuder and Philip Fabricius of Kubota and the M7172 tractor. This the first tractor of its kind in the country. The tractor has a V6108 engine, develops 171 horsepower, boasts with auto steering, and can be used for any purpose on the farm. It is less greedy for fuel and the cab is so user-friendly that a farmer can sit in it all day long.

Bert Ubbink (left), managing director of Bonavide, and dr Andries Leuschner (right) of Bonavide, shows Niel Hanekom (middle), a grain, cattle and sheep farmer from Moorreesburg, the areas on his farm where grain will have difficulty to grow. They detect these areas by means of an agricultural satellite. The problem areas show up in different colours. The greener, the healthier will the soil be. But where it is yellow, there is a problem. If it is red nothing will grow there. This information is also passed on to fertiliser companies as it will assist them in their recommendations to farmers. Bonavide also has a qualified and licensed drone pilot who can use a drone to fly between trees on the farm in areas where it will be difficult to inspect the soil from space.

Theunis Human and Attie de Villiers next to the VALTRA E194 tractor at NAMPO Cape. One of the features of Valtra tractors is that the buyer can order it in the colour of his/her choice. A pink tractor because SHE decided on the colour?