INCOTEC South Africa officially opens new facility

INCOTEC South Africa officially announced its presence in Africa when it opened its R13 million purpose-built premises in Pietermaritzburg on Friday, March 15.

Having identified Pietermaritzburg as the strategic launch pad for its expansion into sub-Saharan Africa, INCOTEC has been working hard at marketing its services in the region. With this new facility INCOTEC can provide further services: upgrading, priming, disinfection, film coating and application of actives and additives in addition to the pelleting&encrusting technology and analytical testing which was already available.

Speaking at the opening, INCOTEC CEO JanWillem Breukink said the company is determined to play a leading role in the global economy of food security. “The resource and human challenges facing the world, not to mention climate change, are well-documented, and at the end of the day, food security will be about having to do more with less. We believe that precision agriculture will help mitigate the impact of food production,” he said.

INCOTEC global research and development director Bob Legro echoed Breukink’s sentiments, “Scientists and researchers are starting to shun wasteful practices, such as blanket spraying of crops rather than precision treatment of a seed, to achieve the same effect,”. He pointed out that a holistic practice of agriculture is necessary and this demands partnerships throughout the entire agricultural food chain, from breeder to retailer.

Legro said a key strength is INCOTEC’s global reach and access to research and expertise from its other facilities worldwide. “It really means that the Pietermaritzburg business benefits from all the experience learnt at our other operations,” he said.

South African agricultural consul, Niek Schelling “The Dutch government is very supportive of companies that operate in developing countries, and we are especially pleased that a company of INCOTEC’s stature has chosen to invest in South Africa. The Netherlands is keen to share its agro-processing capabilities with other nations, and believes it can make a difference in the search for food security”.