Capital Equipment News June 2016

NAMPO HARVEST DAY breaks all records

G rain SA’s 50 th NAMPO Harvest day shattered all records amidst dire agricultural conditions. The four-day event was held at Bothaville and was at- tended by a record number of 75 116 peo- ple while there were 685 exhibitors – the most ever in the history of NAMPO. This attendance figure exceeded all expec- tations. According to the organisers, and exhibitors, they wrote up some good busi- ness as a result. Excellent weather con- ditions contributed to the high attendance figures. The influx of light aircraft, always a hall- mark of the show, was significant in that 448 planes, compared with 399 of last year, graced the parking area. The smooth flow of visitors through the gates, despite the large attendance, was made possible with the introduction of an electronic entrance system. A more even distribution of visitors took place over the four days. NAMPO 2016 proved that the fa- cilities at NAMPO Park were able to handle a large number of visitors. Positive com- ments were received about the quality of exhibitors, the good and clean condition of the terrain and the general overall facilities. “Over the past half-century, the NAMPO Harvest Day has evolved into a brand that accurately typifies modern agriculture in South Africa. It speaks to the general public as consumers of our agricultural products; it speaks to all producers in our country; it speaks to decision makers in government and the industry as a whole. It even appeals to the international arena and the growing interest from abroad,” said Cobus van Col- ler, chairman of Harvest Day. Jannie de Villiers, CEO of Grain SA, has great respect for South African farmers’ appetite for risk and said, “Despite difficult conditions, producers are still prepared to invest in the industry. They didn’t attend NAMPO merely to come and look, they also made calculated purchases which made any detractor sit up and take notice.” Furthermore, de Villiers observed a positive eagerness amongst the guests of Grain SA, who visited Harvest Day for the first time and concluded by saying, “Senior people in the structure of agriculture-related busi-

nesses obtained a positive insight into the depth of the industry. Their feedback on the image of a competitive, technologically advanced industry was, without exception, overwhelmingly positive.” b

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS JUNE 2016 38