Deputy President Paul Mashatile attended and engaged with the agricultural sector at the NAMPO Harvest Day expo on Thursday (15/5) at Bothaville in the Free State.

As the Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Agriculture and Land Reform, the Deputy President is known as a keen supporter and enthusiast of agriculture.

During the visit, the deputy president walked through the exhibitions to witness the best agricultural technologies and products on offer, and also engaged with selected agricultural groups.

He was accompanied by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean MacPherson.

“This is the largest contingent of government ministers. The president was here two days ago. Now the Deputy President, and the Minister of Agriculture is coming later. I think this really shows the commitment of government to the agricultural sector,” MacPherson said.

“This is not the first time I’ve been to this amazing agricultural show. I’ve been here many times, but this is my first time as the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure. 

“I’ve had some really good meetings this morning with Agbiz, AgriSA, Grain SA and we’ve been talking about the challenges being faced, particularly in the infrastructure space related to agriculture, the state of roads, and we’re going to be looking at coming up with a solution for that.  

“I really do believe that farmers and the agricultural sector are the backbone of our country and we’re hugely appreciative of the work that you guys do. We want to continue to support and grow the industry to make sure that there’s certainty, make sure the infrastructure is fixed and make sure that our farmers can continue to feed our nation and employ the more than a million people that they do.

“We are committed to growing South Africa. We’re committed to making South Africa work, and from public works and infrastructure, we are committed to turning South Africa into a construction site.

“If there’s one province I love in this country, it’s the Free State – the heart of South Africa with the friendliest people in South Africa.”

Grain SA’s NAMPO Harvest Days is a proudly South African event that brings together commercial, developing and emerging farmers in a spirit of collaboration and shared learning. 

Hosted annually, it is the biggest agricultural show in the Southern Hemisphere. The event draws more than 80,000 visitors each year and includes over 750 exhibitors from across the entire agricultural value chain – including mechanisation, technology, inputs, financing, agri-services and farmer support. 

The theme for 2025 is “Global Agriculture, Local”, which highlights the adaptation of global agricultural innovations to suit South African conditions.

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