With agriculture under pressure from rising input costs, extreme weather events, tightening margins, and trade agreement challenges, NAMPO Harvest Day 2025 arrives at a pivotal moment for South Africa’s farming sector.

Hosted under the theme “Global Agriculture, Locally!”, this year’s NAMPO is more than an exhibition, it is a rallying point for real-world, farmer-led solutions. From mechanisation and market access to financial tools and agri-tech, the event brings together farmers, agribusinesses, and financiers to explore what it will take to sustain growth and resilience across the sector.

“This week, we are joining industry leaders, clients, and partners at NAMPO for a series of tailored conversations and milestone engagements, all focused on enabling long-term resilience in the sector. At Standard Bank we have always journeyed with the agricultural sector for its long-term growth, recognising that farmers are not asking for theory, but rather for practical tools. From targeted solutions, climate-resilient inputs and platforms that connect them directly to buyers, to access to finance that works with seasonal realities, Standard Bank leverages its extensive experience to foster sector resilience,” says Brendan Jacobs, Head of Agribusiness at Business and Commercial Banking, Standard Bank South Africa.

As trade uncertainty looms, especially around the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and shifting global trade dynamics, there is growing urgency to expand regional trade and create new pathways for South African produce into other global markets.

One such market is furthering trade into Africa and we are very excited as Standard Bank to be hosting our Heads of Agribusiness from 14 other African countries at NAMPO 2025. We look forward to the opportunity of connecting our South African clients with leaders in these countries in which we operate on the continent for potential opportunities and simultaneously for our colleagues from these countries to take best practices identified at NAMPO back to their environments.

Another highlight at this year’s NAMPO is the Standard Bank AgriBusiness Transformation Graduation Ceremony, taking place today, 14 May 2025. This is in recognition of a cohort of emerging farmers and agri-preneurs, who have completed tailored development programmes to help grow and formalise their businesses - in collaboration with the University of the Free State and Free State Department of Agriculture.

“With South Africa exporting over half its agricultural production by value, and nearly 26% by volume, the resilience of the sector depends on agility in the face of both global and domestic shifts. This is arguably one of the most significant years for agriculture in decades. Whether we are talking about export markets or sustainability, success will hinge on how well we align policy, innovation, and grassroots execution to support those who feed the nation,” Jacobs adds.