The KPR Conference and Trading Dairy Farming Summit has kicked off with a bang! Currently happening at the Ascot Conference Centre in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, the event is setting out to change the industry.
Kireshni Naiker, agricultural consultant and one of the event organisers, describes the first day of the summit as a success, saying their aims for the event have been met so far.
“The main goal of the event was to bring small-scale farmers and industry-related experts as well as industry stakeholders together for the transference of knowledge. This knowledge transfer is meant to assist the farmers in taking the next step in their farming journey.”
Naiker explains that farmers took part in an interactive seminar, where discussions were held around the background of the dairy industry, as well as where they would like to see it go. Participants also learned more about how to access funding and other economic aspects of dairy farming.
“We also had discussions about the importance of transformation of the dairy industry and the need for us to change our mindset and approach. The past is important, and we refer to it in order to pave a better way forward so we achieve an industry that is beyond race, gender and religion.”
Some of the stakeholders at the event included Zibusiso Dlamini, deputy director-general at the KwaZulu-Natal department of agriculture and rural development, Godfrey Rathogwa, transformation director at MilkSA, and Siyabonga Mbambo, from the National Youth Development Agency.
“We also had Amadlelo, whose company aims to build prosperous agribusinesses and [help people] benefit from exceptional operational capacity, extensive project management, proven development, and significant resources as investors.”
What’s next?
For Naiker, one of the best aspects of the event is that it is interactive. She says that the passion dairy farmers have for their work is on full display.
“The interactive sessions amongst speakers and the delegates, the priceless knowledge that was shared and transferred, this is what the conference is all about. This is a safe place for everyone to share their successes and challenges, and create solutions together. ”
She explains that farmers attending the event can look forward to more interactive sessions for the rest of the seminar. The event will cover topics like dairy cow and heifer nutrition, reproduction and fertility of a dairy cow, animal health, fodder flow, and pasture management.
The summit ends on Wednesday, 24 August.
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