Industry bodies Agri SA and the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) have formalised a strategic partnership with Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) to prioritise critical agricultural road corridors in the Free State.

Having signed a memorandum of cooperation, the organisations have made 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 engagements between the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, ISA, Agri SA and Agbiz to ensure infrastructure investment decisions are informed by the economic realities of productive sectors.

The agreement signed between the organisations stipulates how they will implement a structured process to jointly analyse freight flows, production regions and logistics routes 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 initiative between the organisations is further reinforced by the appointment of Agri SA 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.

Meanwhile, the Free State has been identified as the pilot province for these efforts owing to its central role in national grain, livestock and agroprocessing production, as well as its strategic position in domestic and export logistics networks.

Kotzé has expressed his appreciation for Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson’s decision to engage directly with organised agriculture and listen to producers on the ground. “This signals a clear recognition that infrastructure reform must be anchored in economic reality,” he adds.  

For Agri SA, 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.

“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,” Kotzé explains.

Reliable road infrastructure also supports rural economic activity and contributes directly to food security.

Kotzé concludes that the partnership between Agri SA, Agbiz and ISA 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.