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The
grain and oilseed industry
of south africa – A journey through time
32
In the 2014 annual report Mr Jannie de Villiers, CEO of Grain SA, mentioned
that Grain SA’s presence had been successfully announced on the social me-
dia platforms Facebook and Twitter. Social media are used within the organisa-
tion mainly to foster dialogue, optimise public relations and marketing initiatives
and build brand awareness by exposing the brand to new people and increasing
involvement.
During 2014/2015, activity on the @GrainSA Twitter account increased substan-
tially from 253 followers in the previous reporting period to 1 682. In addition to
tweeting during all major Grain SA events such as Congress and NAMPO, the
account is used to disseminate daily market reports and fuel reports.
The Grain SA Facebook page’s following more than doubled during the period,
from 1 000 followers in December 2014 to 4 828 on 1 December 2015. This platform
is more popular and members interact with the organisation and fellow community
members on a daily basis. With the integration of the Grain SA YouTube channel,
cross-sharing between the social media platforms was simplified. Grain SA also
established an Instagram account, which has 942 followers.
A fortnightly electronic newsletter,
Grain SA Perspective
, was started in 2008 and
distributed to members via email. Topical information on the industry, as well as
developments in the input, production and market environment, is communicated
via the newsletter. The newsletter is also published on the website. The
Grain SA
News Flash
is utilised to distribute urgent important and relevant information like
agricultural production conditions to members.
Radio
A fortnightly RSG programme is managed by the public relations officer and
assistance is provided in arranging interviews by members of the Grain SA
Management Committee on various radio stations and broadcasting media. A
radio campaign was implemented in 2015, focusing on English-speaking urban
stakeholders. During an agricultural awareness campaign broadcasting slots
were obtained on 702 Talk Radio.
Printed publications
With a constant focus on the producer members of Grain SA as the primary target
audience, the success of
Mielies/Maize
as mouthpiece of the organisation was con-
tinued with
SA Graan/Grain
, which is a respected journal in the grain and oilseeds
industry. The Farmer Development Programme monthly publishes the
Pula Imvula
newsletter – a publication that is translated into seven languages and is aimed at
developing producers. Grain SA also publishes the annual
Grain Guide
, which con-
tains useful contacts and articles on seed, implements, fertilising, integrated pest