The theme of this year’s Grain SA Congress was “More with Less”. This refers to the challenge to grain producers in South Africa to produce more (better yields) with fewer inputs (reduction of costs) in order to remain profitable and sustainable.

South Africa chalked up a record biotech crop in 2012 of 2.9-million hectares (2.3-million in 2011), with GM in the lead – 5% over the previous year.

Agriculture in South Africa is a vitally important sector of the economy. According to Statistics SA, in a survey it conducted in the second financial quarter of 2012, 638 000 people were formally employed in this sector.

The second Clean Technology business and investment matchmaking conference for the African continent is to be held at the Killarney Country Club in Lower Houghton, Johannesburg.

The mandatory blending of biofuels has been gazetted at minimum concentrations of 5% for biodiesel and 2% to 10% for bio-ethanol, and the country’s biofuels strategy allows the use of grain sorghum, sugar cane and sugar beet for bio-ethanol production, and sunflower, canola and soya beans for biodiesel production.