Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
March 15, 2013
JanWillem Breukink, President and CEO INCOTEC Group cuts the ribbon to officially open
the new building in Pietermaritzburg
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.
(l to r)Yusuf Bhamjee (District Mayor for 7 districts within the Umgungundlovu District of KwaZulu Natal), Niek Schelling (Agricultural Counsellor from NL Embassy), Tertia Erasmus (General Manager INCOTEC SA), Derick Jones (Sales and Marketing Manager INCOTEC SA), Babu Baijoo (Speaker of the House).
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 agroprocessing capabilities with other nations, and believes it can make a difference in the search for food security”.
INCOTEC® was founded in 1968 and has been an independent company since 2002. INCOTEC's Coating and Seed Technology Companies around the world provide products and services for seed coating, pelleting, seed enhancement and analytical services for genetic analysis and quality inspection. INCOTEC Group contributes significantly to the development of sustainable agriculture worldwide by providing key solutions in the four business areas, vegetables, field crops, ornamentals and analytical services. INCOTEC’s head quarters are in the Netherlands and there are INCOTEC facilities in the USA, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Sweden, Brazil, Japan, India, Australia, China and South Africa.
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