Preparations for the Nampo Cape 2026 event in Bredasdorp are ongoing. Food For Mzansi will serve as one of the key knowledge partners this year, organizing a series of discussions that will be announced soon.
Event Details
Nampo Cape will take place from Wednesday, September 9th, to Saturday, September 12th, 2026, in Bredasdorp, Western Cape. The event will gather farmers, agribusinesses, researchers, service providers, and representatives of local communities across the entire agricultural value chain under the motto 'Together We Grow.'
Expanding the Dialogue Platform
Food For Mzansi, in collaboration with Land Bank, will bring back its popular luncheon talks to Nampo Cape, bringing together influential agricultural figures to discuss sector-shaping challenges. To meet growing demand, these talks will be held in the dedicated Food For Mzansi Auditorium this year, providing more attendees the opportunity to participate in these sought-after sessions.
Nampo Cape is expected to host over 500 exhibitors across 600 exhibition spaces covering 32 hectares. The latest agricultural technologies, products, services, and innovations aimed at strengthening South Africa's farming sector will be showcased.
The Importance of Partnership in the Industry
Organizers emphasize that this year's theme highlights the significance of collaboration in creating a sustainable, competitive, and viable agricultural industry. Partnership among producers, agribusinesses, organized agriculture, researchers, innovators, financiers, government, and local communities is becoming increasingly critical amid growing economic and environmental pressures on farmers.
Winter grain producers, in particular, continue to face rising resource costs, falling commodity prices, high financial burdens, policy uncertainty, and challenging production conditions. Recent changes regarding wheat tariff exemptions have heightened concerns about the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of local wheat production.
Expert Views on Challenges
According to Nampo Director Dirk Stridom, the event in the Western Cape has become an indispensable platform where producers can find practical solutions during difficult times. He noted that producers in winter grain regions operate in an environment where every decision is complicated, including productivity, profitability, resource costs, market access, and policy certainty.
Stridom added that Nampo Cape gives producers a chance to break out of isolation, interact with the broader value chain, and seek practical answers that can strengthen their business and confidence for upcoming seasons.
Henk Aggenbach, Chairman of Bredasdorp Park NPC, stated that the declared theme strongly aligns with the realities of South African agriculture. He mentioned that many enterprises in the sector are working harder for less profit because production costs remain high, and weak commodity prices continue to pressure producers.
Livestock farmers are battling the aftermath of foot-and-mouth disease, which disrupted livestock movement, increased financial strain, and restricted access to export markets. Furthermore, severe flooding in the Western Cape in May 2026 exposed producer vulnerabilities, damaging critical infrastructure and disrupting agricultural operations.
Goals and Directions of Nampo Cape
Against this backdrop, Nampo Cape aims to be a platform where innovation, cooperation, and practical solutions help strengthen the resilience of the entire agricultural sector. Stridom stressed that the strength of the exhibition lies in bringing together knowledge, technology, and people. He concluded that no single producer can solve production and profitability issues alone; Nampo Cape gathers the right people—producers, suppliers, researchers, organized agriculture, and service providers—so that conversations turn into ideas, ideas into solutions, and solutions into practical changes on farms.
In addition to the Food For Mzansi programs, organized agriculture sessions in the Santam auditorium will include discussions on sector priorities, challenges, and future opportunities from the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation, Milk Producers’ Organisation, Vinpro, and Grain SA. Visitors will also be able to visit the Ikusasa Smart Water Use Centre and the Protected Cropping Seminar, making Nampo Cape 2026 one of South Africa's leading platforms for knowledge exchange, cooperation, and agricultural innovation.