Grain SA August 2017

Augustus 2017

SAGL celebrates 20th anniversary

and new crop protection division

he basement of the Southern Af-

rican Grain Laboratory (SAGL) at

the Grain Building in Pretoria was

converted into an elegant venue

to host a celebration on 26 June this year.

This event marked the launch of the SAGL’s

new crop protection division and coincided

with their 20th anniversary.

The SAGL was established in 1997 after

the agricultural marketing boards were

dissolved. Two of the founding members

of the SAGL, Mr Jannie de Villiers (CEO of

Grain SA) and Ms Mariana Purnell (gen-

eral manager: Agbiz Grain), who are direc-

tors on the SAGL board, were amongst the

guests. Both shared recollections about

the company’s humble beginnings and

growth, which they witnessed over the

past 20 years. They are excited to still be

part of this successful organisation.

In his opening, De Villiers stated that they

had declared their dependency on the Lord

from the initial planning of the organisation

and know this is the reason why the compa-

ny has reached new heights. ‘Even though

people thought it would not be possible to

establish the SAGL, here we are, 20 years

later launching the new crop protection divi-

sion.’ He added that this new development

will allow the SAGL to serve a larger part

of the agricultural industry.

Mr Boikanyo Mokgatle, chairman of the

SAGL board of directors, said that the

SAGL has established itself as a market

leader. The event was an opportunity to

celebrate the people who have made this

achievement possible. He made a special

mention of the personnel who had been

part of the team for the entire 20 years

and had made the growth of the institution

possible.

Head of Standard Bank’s Agribusiness,

Mr Nico Groenewald, highlighted their fi-

nancial involvement in supporting role-

players who, like the SAGL, play a vital role

in the success of the agricultural industry.

Standard Bank decided to get involved in

financing the establishing of the new crop

protection division because of the impor-

tant role the SAGL plays in ensuring food

safety. According to Ms Cecilia Breedt (lab-

oratory manager: Crop Protection Division)

the new crop protection division specialises

in the analysis of agricultural formulations

and technical material for registration and

quality control of plant protection products

according to international standards.

Both the crop quality and the crop protec-

tion divisions of the SAGL are accredited

under the international ISO 17025 standard.

Part of the ISO 17025 accreditation process

is the continuous proof of technical compe-

tency, international comparability and trace-

ability to international standards through

the participation in international proficien-

cy schemes. The South African National

Accreditation System conducts surveil-

lance audits within an 18-month cycle to

confirm that the SAGL complies with the

requirements.

The new division also complies with the

OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Prac-

tice, also known as OECD GLP. The OECD

Principles of GLP is an international recog-

nised accreditation that ensures traceability

of all data and the prevention of fraud.

RELEVANT

LOUISE KUNZ,

SA Graan/Grain

contributor

1: The team at the new crop protection division of the SAGL. At the back are Cecilia Breedt (laboratory

manager) and Gerty Pieterse (specialist analyst) with Sylvia Phokane (analyst and archivist) at the keyboard.

2: SAGL leaders who formed part of the celebrations: Jannie de Villiers, Wiana Louw (general manager:

SAGL), Boikanyo Mokgatle and Mariana Purnell (programme leader at the function).

3: These role-players have been part of the SAGL since the beginning 20 years ago: Founder members

Dr Cobus le Roux and Jannie de Villiers; Johannes Mkosi, Jolanda Nortjé (laboratory manager: Crop Quality

Division) and Marlize Hammes who all have 20 years’ service at the SAGL; Colin Wootton (another founder

member) and Daniël Msizo, who also has 20 years’ service.

4: Ladies in charge: The three managers at the SAGL are Wiana Louw, Cecilia Breedt and Jolanda Nortjé.