South Africa’s agricultural sector has long understood its structural challenges, from deteriorating logistics and water security to energy constraints, rural safety, and evolving trade dynamics. However, the 2026 AgriSA Congress—taking place on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, at the Irene Country Hotel, just outside Pretoria—represents a pivotal moment for the industry. Centred around the theme “The Path is Clear,” this year’s gathering marks a transition from describing systemic hurdles to driving concrete, mandate-led execution.
A Member-Led Blueprint for Action
Over recent months, AgriSA has engaged in an extensive consultative process to refine and reaffirm the core mandates guiding its work. Rather than presenting abstract policy positions, Congress serves as the convergence point for this nationwide effort.
At the heart of this strategy are AgriSA’s Centres of Excellence (CoEs), where leadership will table concrete operational directives:
Land & Development: Vice-chair Eben du Plessis will tackle property rights, land reform models, and legal safeguards against unlawful occupation.
Natural Resources: Chair Laubscher Coetsee will focus on securing water allocation rights, climate resilience, and mitigating municipal energy tariffs.
Labour: Chair Johan Wege will address minimum wage policy impacts, sector compliance, and skilled labor retention.
Rural Safety: Chair Joe Scholtz will detail practical steps to combat farm attacks and livestock theft through strengthened SAPS partnership.
Economics & Trade: Chair Jannie Strydom will highlight critical interventions to clear freight and port bottlenecks while expanding international market access.
Establishing a Clear To-Do List for Government and Industry
Agricultural sustainability depends on public policy decisions spanning energy, infrastructure, and policing. To address this, the 2026 Congress focuses on the real levers of change: identifying what must be done, defining who must act, and establishing where the industry itself must step forward.
The primary outcome will be an unvarnished “to-do list for agriculture.” This actionable agenda will detail priority interventions for the Minister of Agriculture and broader government structures, ensuring public-private partnerships produce measurable progress.
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High-Level Debate and Strategic Alignment
A key highlight will be the keynote address delivered by Minister of Agriculture Willie Aucamp. Following his address, political analyst Qaanitah Hunter will moderate a panel discussion featuring current affairs journalist Lourenza Eckard and Wandile Sihlobo, South Africa’s Presidential Envoy on Agriculture and Land. Under the title “Is agriculture flourishing in spite of the state apparatus?”, the panel will tackle the structural reforms required to move the sector forward.
As AgriSA CEO Johann Kotzé and President Willem de Chavonnes Vrugt guide the proceedings, the final focus remains clear: moving beyond diagnosis toward a resilient, competitive agricultural future.