South Africa’s red meat industry, government, research institutions, universities, financiers and technology providers will come together in Pretoria on 15 and 16 September 2026 for the Agri X Fusion Red Meat Value Chain Collaboration Summit.
Hosted at Silver Lakes Golf Club in Pretoria, the summit is the first initiative under the Agri X Fusion Industry–Academia Collaboration Event Series, a platform established to better connect the considerable research, expertise, technology, and investment resources available in South Africa with the practical challenges and opportunities facing agricultural value chains.
Economist Dr Roelof Botha will provide a macroeconomic overview of South Africa’s current economic environment, highlighting its relevance to the agricultural sector and the opportunities and challenges shaping its future.
The SA red meat value chain: challenges and opportunities
In a statement, Agri X Fusion said the summit comes at an important time for the agricultural sector, as stakeholders increasingly recognise that challenges such as biosecurity, competitiveness, market access, infrastructure, climate resilience, financing and technology adoption cannot be addressed effectively by individual organisations working in isolation.
Agri X Group CEO Koos Nel said the objective was deliberately different from that of a conventional agricultural conference.
“South Africa has exceptional industry expertise, universities, researchers, technology providers and financial resources. The challenge is not necessarily the absence of capability. It is how we align these resources more effectively with the real priorities of our agricultural value chains.
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“The purpose of Agri X Fusion is therefore not simply to discuss the challenges. We want industry to articulate its needs, bring the appropriate expertise and resources into the conversation and then create opportunities for the parties to collaborate on practical solutions,” Nel said.
The red meat value chain has been selected as the first focus area because of its importance to South Africa’s food security, rural economy, employment, transformation and export ambitions.
Dewald Olivier, CEO of Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), will provide an industry perspective on the future state of the South African red meat value chain and the key priorities and challenges that need to be addressed.
What to expect on the programme
The first day will explore three interconnected areas critical to the future of the sector:
- Competitiveness, biosecurity and industry preparedness – examining the industry’s ability to respond to animal-health threats, improve resilience and strengthen productivity.
- Market access, export growth, trade competitiveness and inclusive growth – exploring what is required to expand domestic and international market opportunities and enable broader participation across the value chain.
- Financing growth, infrastructure and managing risk – bringing financiers, development institutions and industry together to examine funding, investment, infrastructure, risk-management and climate-finance requirements.
“These discussions will be complemented by an innovation, research and investment showcase, providing universities, research institutions, technology companies and industry innovators with an opportunity to demonstrate capabilities and explore collaboration around identified industry needs,” Agri X Fusion stated.
The day concludes with the Agri X Fusion collaboration platform and an executive networking reception and dinner.
On the second day, the emphasis changes from identifying challenges to implementation.
The programme will be opened by Wandile Shihlobo, the presidential envoy for agriculture and land, followed by sessions showcasing solutions, financing approaches and practical collaboration opportunities to align on a project basis and implement.
A central feature will be curated business matchmaking and collaboration sessions, connecting participants around:
- research partnerships;
- university–industry collaboration;
- sponsor and commercial partnerships;
- investment opportunities;
- technology and innovation; and
- practical agricultural development initiatives.
According to Agri X Fusion, research teams would have an opportunity to hear directly from industry about its priorities, showcase relevant research and innovations, identify potential commercialisation opportunities and establish relationships with industry partners.
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