Agbiz eNewsletter, 28 March 2013

Newsletter

28 March 2013

Agbiz participates in BRICS Business Forum

Many commentators and analysts, locally and abroad, have been questioning the formation of BRICS (essentially an alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), bringing together a disparate group of large developing countries that represent 40% of the world's population and 25% of its GDP. It is especially also South Africa's advent to BRICS and its hosting of the BRICS Summit this past week that again raised questions as to its positioning and benefits/fallout from such an alignment. Click to read the report by Dr John Purchase, Agbiz CEO, who attended the Summit.

DAFF/Agbiz Agricultural Trade Workshop

S Important date ave the date: 23 May 2013

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and Agbiz will be hosting an all-day Agriculture Trade Workshop on 23 May 2013. If you have an interest in agricultural trade, either from an export or import perspective, please diarise this date. Programme and venue details will follow soon. Enquiries: Ms Jennifer Roets at jennifer@agbiz.co.za.

Farm Workers Strike' in Western Cape:
Update by Departments of Labour (DoL) and Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (DAFF)

Farm Workers The following presentations were presented at a joint meeting of DAFF and DoL to the Portfolio Committee on Labour, on 23 March 2013:

DAFF on the Western Cape farm workers strike
Department of Labour briefing on farm workers strike

Werksmans lodges first ever COMESA merger filing

The COMESA Competition Commission (CCC) is a regional competition authority created to facilitate increased pan-African trade. It came into effect on 14 January 2013 and has very significant implications for transactions and firms doing business in the COMESA member countries. Werksmans director Pieter Steyn and his team has lodged the first ever merger filing under the COMESA regulations in respect of the acquisition by Funai Electric of Philips' Lifestyle Entertainment business group. The implementation of the COMESA merger control regulations has raised several legal and practical questions. Read more»

Opportunity for Agbiz members to present their business to students - free of charge

Agbiz will be exhibiting at the Produce Marketing Association's (PMA) Career and Bursary Fair at the University of Stellenbosch on 25 April, as well as the fair at Pretoria University on 22-23 August 2013. The reason for participating in the PMA Career and Bursary Fair is to entice young people to consider a career in the agribusiness industry.

Feedback received from students who attended the Agbiz Congress in 2012, indicated that almost all of them were surprised by the large amount of role-players in the agribusiness sector. They also said the congress made them aware of career opportunities which they previously didn't know exist.

Agbiz' participation in the fair provides a unique opportunity for Agbiz members to benefit from by presenting their companies to students - potential employees. Agbiz will distribute marketing material, of members who are interested in participating in the fair, selectively to students who show real interest in agribusiness.

Please confirm your participation as soon as possible, but no later than Tuesday, 9 April 2013 with Jennifer Roets at e-mail:jennifer@agbiz.co.za

Upcoming Events

Course in Commodity Futures Trading, Hedging and Speculation

Presented by Kejafta Knowlegde Works and Dr Mariette Geyser

For more information contact Isak Blignaut at 011 025 4388

Bien Donné Agri Cape Week

17 - 20 April 2013 | Simmondium | Western Cape

For more information contact Marianna du Plessis at 082 337 6127 or email: africa@agrimega.co.za

PMA Career and Bursary Fair

25 April 2013 | Stellenbosch University | Stellenbosch

For more information go to www.careerfair.co.za

Precision Farming Congress