Conferences and Training

Book your place for the FERTASA  Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition Symposium to held on 21 August 2018 at the CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria. The symposium theme is “Effective Stewardship of Fertilizer in Practice”. Guest speakers include Prof Patrick Brown from the University of California, covering Foliar Fertilization; Prof Patrick du Jardin from Gembloux Agri-Bio Tech – Univesity of Liege covering Bio Stimulants to Enhance Nutrient use Efficiency in Crop Plants; Prof Joanna Dames from Rhodes University covering  Mycorrhiza – Born to be friends; Dr George Ebert covering Controlled Efficiency; Dr Johan Habig covering Soil Health Quantification; Dr Bridgitta Steyn covering Stewardship of the microbial ecosystem of agricultural soil and Dr Arrie van Vuuren covering Effective Placement of Fertilizer. Register by 29 June to take advantage of the Early Bird Registration Fee. Final Programme – 2018 Symposium INDIVIDUAL Registration Form 2018 GROUP Registration Form 2018

The Fertilizer Society of South Africa (FSSA) was founded in 1959 and restructured in 2014  when it became know as the Fertilizer Association of Southern Africa (FERTASA). Adriaan de Lange who served as Chairman of FERTASA since 2014 completed his second term of office and delivered his final chairman’s report at the 2018 FERTASA congress held on 19 April at the Premier Hotel, OR Tambo International airport. The South African economy grew by 1.3% in 2017 and exceeded the National Treasuries expectation of 1% growth. Economic activity was driven by agriculture with agricultural production increasing by 17.7% in 2017 which contributed to 0.4% of national GDP growth. Agricultural production in the summer rainfall areas was marked by good yields for most crops and high income from animal products resulting in an overall reduction in South African food inflation which decreased from 9.9% in February 2107 to 4.5% in January 2018, which is a clear indication of the strategic importance of the agricultural industry in South Africa providing affordable food and food security for a growing population. South Africa achieved a record maize yield in 2017 however the overall trend of reduced plantings continued as farmers moved to more lucrative crops and diversified their operations. The world wide surplus production of maize caused the maize price to plummet from a high in excess of R4000.00 in 2016 to below R2000.00 in 2017. The drop in the South African maize price was exacerbated by the change from import to export parity pricing which led to the enigmatic situation that farming debt in the summer grain production areas increased despite a record crop being harvested. The surplus production of maize and resultant lower prices has led to increased plantings of soybean over the past eight years with a result that soybean production also achieved a record yield in 2017. International soybean prices has tended higher recently which bodes well for the future of local soybean production provided that the processing capacity for soybeans increases and cultivars more suited to South African conditions are developed to increase the overall yield per hectare. Agricultural crop production in the winter rainfall areas has been seriously  affected by the worst drought in a hundred years in the Western Cape which is continuing; the wheat yields ranged from 2 – 3.5 tons/ha in the Swartland and very low to almost no yield in other areas. Fruit and grape production had mixed results whereby exports of fruit and wine was favoured by the weak Rand and in some cases the extreme drought conditions enhanced wine quality; however the quantity produced was severely affected. The Western Cape Dam levels are currently down to 18.95 from 26.9% in 2016 and the Western Cape has been declared a disaster area, fortunately relief measures are being implemented. Fertilizer prices and consumption Fertilizer prices have stabilized internationally and production is increasing however demand hasn’t increased which has put prices under pressure. de Lange commented that fertilizers are currently trading at production cost rather than…

Book your place for the FERTASA 58th ANNUAL CONGRESS to held on 18 & 19 April 2018 at the Premier Hotel,  OR Tambo, Kempton Park, Gauteng. Some of the speakers include  Dr Shamie Zingore, Regional Director from the International Plant Nutrition Institute covering Nutrient Stewardship and Sustainable Fertilizer Use, Professor Nico Labuschagne covering Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria as Biofertilizers, Prof Anne Grobler covering Nanotechnology & Fertilizers and Dr John Purchase, covering Major Trends Driving the Future of Agriculture. Register and pay by 3 April to avoid the late registration fee. FERTASA CONGRESS 2018 FINAL PROGRAMME  

FERTASA will be hosting a Bio-Fertilizer workshop on 15 November 2017 at the CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria. Come and listen to guest speakers including Barbara Novak from Italy, Stephanie Roberts (Omnia) and Dr Rianto van Antwerpen (SASRI), Dr Robin Barnard (FERTASA) covering the following topics:  The International Scene Bio-Fertilizers vs Bio-Remedies South African Regulatory Framework Soil Health and Soil Condition Group 3 Fertilizer Applications The Way Forward FERTASA BIO-FERILIZER WORKSHOP – FINAL PROGRAMME