No visit to NAMPO is complete if you haven’t joined the crowd at the Standard Bank 4×4 track to check which bakkie will climb the hills and swim the rivers on the farm with no hesitation at all. And nothing shows Standard Bank’s commitment to the farming community as much as the Bank’s involvement with NAMPO from the very first expo 56 years ago.

Brendan Jacobs, Head of Agribusiness SA, says: “It is such a privilege for us as Standard Bank to be involved at NAMPO 2024. It is the 56th year of NAMPO’s existence and we have been here since the beginning. We see ourselves at the heart of the Bank and at the heart of the communities that we operate in and for that we have a three-pronged purpose that drives us, namely addressing food insecurity, addressing unemployment and helping the economies in which we operate to grow.

“We do these things through deep sector specialisation, which means that we have agribusiness specialists, agricultural economists, relationship managers, and credit teams that specialise in agriculture so that when we engage with our clients, we can find solutions suitable for their specific environment.”

Oscar Siziba, Head of Business Banking Coverage SA, says that agriculture is an integral sector of the economy, making an immense contribution.

He adds, “There is no doubt that there will be more global disruptions to come and because of that we strive to play a significant role in finding tailored solutions that will help producers and key participants in this value chain address challenges. As a stakeholder in the agricultural sector, Standard Bank is committed to ensuring the longevity of the sector and partnering with the value chain in driving sustainable growth through innovative solutions and products.

“We believe in growing our clients and stakeholders, and we believe in growing with our clients and stakeholders, as it is our purpose to drive Africa’s growth,” says Oscar.

He notes that they are at NAMPO to learn and gain insights into trends in the agricultural sector so that they can make a positive contribution to its growth and prosperity. “With agriculture fast changing and the increasing need to ensure that the food system is preserved, a holistic approach is required if we are to ensure growth and transformation.”

Brendan adds that the theme of this year’s NAMPO, “Agriculture in a digital age,” aligns one hundred percent with the initiatives they are driving at Standard Bank.

“We have seen how traditional ways of operating in various industries transform in the digital space, and in the past decade or so agriculture has grown in leaps and bounds. To us this is an exciting development to see how businesses and operations can enhance efficiencies and levels of productivity, and we play a role in that as financiers. That is why it is so important for us to engage with various people along the value chain and join forces with our clients in order to maximise efforts and outputs.”

“In this regard we have various initiatives, one of which we are especially excited about: our OneFarmShare platform, where we bring various parts of the value chain together. Not only are we making sure that we reduce waste and create opportunities for larger-scale operations to offset some of the excess produce, but we also want to bring into the value chain upcoming and developing farmers. We all know that finding a market to offset your goods is very important. A visit to our OneFarmShare platform will show that there are great opportunities for collaboration.

Brendan also encourages farmers to reach out to their local relationship manager or agribusiness expert or use the digital platforms that are available if they need any assistance. “Please engage with us, talk to us. We want to go on this journey with you. Agriculture is critical for the sustainability of our wonderful country, and we want to join hands with our clients to move forward together.”

Oscar confirms these sentiments: “We are here for you, and we believe that if you grow, we grow, and our economy grows, and our continent grows and that is our purpose – that is the reason we are existing. We exist for your growth.”

Contact your nearest Standard Bank for more details, or visit https://www.standardbank.co.za/southafrica/business/products-and-services/business-solutions/industry/agribusiness.