AgriSA, the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) today formalised a strategic partnership to prioritise critical agricultural road corridors in the Free State through the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation at the Peritum Agricultural Institute in Bloemfontein.
The signing ceremony, officiated by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, together with Industry partners marks an important step towards aligning infrastructure planning with the logistics requirements of the agricultural economy.
The partnership introduces a data-driven pilot initiative to identify and prioritise high-impact provincial road corridors that are essential for the efficient movement of agricultural commodities from production areas to storage, processing facilities and markets. The current deterioration of key road networks has significantly increased transport costs, reduced value-chain efficiency and weakened the competitiveness of regional agricultural production.
This collaboration follows sustained engagements between the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, Infrastructure South Africa, AgriSA and Agbiz to ensure that infrastructure investment decisions are informed by the economic realities of productive sectors.
The initiative is further reinforced by the appointment of AgriSA CEO Johann Kotzé and Agbiz CEO Theo Boshoff to the Ministerial Advisory Panel on Public Asset Management and Infrastructure Development. The panel provides a platform through which organised agriculture and agribusiness contribute technical and strategic input to infrastructure reform and the improved management of public assets in support of growth and job creation.
Through the Memorandum of Cooperation, the partners will implement a structured process to jointly analyse freight flows, production regions and logistics routes in order to identify road corridors where targeted investment will have the greatest economic impact. This approach will support coordinated planning, improve the sequencing of infrastructure interventions and enable measurable improvements in the performance of agricultural value chains.
The Free State has been identified as the pilot province due to its central role in national grain, livestock and agro-processing production and its strategic position in domestic and export logistics networks.
“The Minister’s decision to engage directly with organised agriculture and listen to producers on the ground signals a clear recognition that infrastructure reform must be anchored in economic reality. Sustainable agricultural growth depends not only on policy intent, but on meaningful partnership with those who understand the daily logistics pressures of moving food from farm to market”, said Johann Kotzé, CEO of AgriSA.
Reliable and well-maintained road infrastructure remains a critical enabler of agricultural growth. It lowers the cost of moving inputs and products, improves market access, reduces post-harvest losses and strengthens the sector’s ability to compete in both domestic and international markets. It also supports rural economic activity and contributes directly to food security.
This partnership demonstrates the value of coordinated public-private collaboration in unlocking infrastructure delivery that is targeted, economically responsive and capable of supporting South Africa’s growth agenda.
Enquiries
Johann Kotzé, AgriSA CEO
+27 (0)87 711 0626
info@agrisa.org.za
