RSA Group Reflections January 2026
Dear friends
I was fortunate to kick off 2026 with a round of visits to ‘new’ RSA Group farmers; producers we are working actively with for the first time. In general, farm visits are always highly enjoyable, but 1 must say l particularly enjoyed this experience for the way it exposed me to the fresh ways of thinking, strategising and producing.
In agriculture, the idea of changing seasons is both a direct challenge and a metaphor for the inherent variability of our industry. The weather is always unpredictable, and responding to it is an essential part of how we think about what we do, strategically and practically.
And then there are all the other variables that impact our business: exchange rate volatility, input cost swings, shifts in supply and demand patterns, changes in political leadership (at home and abroad), global trade volatility, electricity and water supply, the impact of armed conflicts and geopolitical disruptions on logistics and transport… it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin!
Recent years have felt especially uncertain, but when I look back through the decades I’ve spent in this industry most years have had a sense of intense, swirling variables. One of the ironies here is that when you’ve spent enough years in an industry that is disproportionately variable you often end up with a fairly fixed mindset as to how to deal with the variables. This was where I found the recent farm visits particularly enjoyable, and valuable from a business perspective. It was a real breath of fresh air to greet new faces and hear new stories and experience first hand just how innovative and progressive South Africa’s fresh produce producers really are.
The farmer has to be an optimist, or he wouldn’t still be a farmer, someone famous once said. When it comes to the spirit and attitude of our farmers I wholeheartedly agree, but after my recent engagements with local producers, I feel the insight could well be updated to:
The farmer has to be a strategist, or he wouldn’t still be a farmer.’ I feel like this is very true in our country, for large and small farmers alike. The strategic skills of South Africa’s smaller and medium sized producers – many of whom have created strong, sustainable businesses on the back of their own passion and commercial instinct, and with very little formal support -are incredibly impressive, and we surely have as much to learn from them about agri strategy as they do from the likes of us. As always, knowledge sharing and collaboration hold the key to our ability to continue generating shared value.
We’re in a fortunate position at RSA Group to not only be able to stay in touch with local producers as they push the frontiers of what’s possible, but also to work with them actively to bring their strategic vision to reality. Based on my recent farm visits, I am confident that 2026 will see us do exactly that.
Best wishes
Jaco Oosthuizen
