As the year draws to a close, the Agbiz team will bid farewell to Wessel Lemmer, who will be taking up the position of CEO at Raisins SA. Wessel joined Agbiz in July 2020 to look after the interests of the grain handling and storage industry at the Agbiz Grain Desk.

Under Wessel’s guidance, the desk navigated some tricky waters with the publication of Leaf Services’ proposed inspection methodology in 2020. The industry appealed to the minister under the APS Act, where Agbiz Grain made substantial inputs, assisting the appeal board with their decision to set the process aside on procedural grounds. Wessel initiated the development of a malting barley storage protocol, lobbying for a review of the JSE base storage rate and a number of other critical policy issues to ensure the grain storage and handling sector’s voice is clearly heard in policy debates.

Aside from policy matters, Wessel piloted a number of unique initiatives to benefit the industry. These included the development of a QCTO-accredited curriculum for grain depot managers with funding from AgriSeta; a SHEQ forum to facilitate peer group learning and improved safety, health, and quality standards in the industry; and a sampling protocol, to name a few. 

During his time managing the Grain Desk, Wessel and Annelien also developed the desk by bringing in additional desk members as well as associate members that provide services to the industry. The Desk now represents 98% of JSE-registered silos in the country. A number of very successful workshops and symposiums were held that helped to elevate the desk’s status to new heights.

Whilst we will miss Wessel in the office, we wish him nothing but success in his new role. Fortunately, Raisins SA is a member of Agbiz, so we look forward to interacting with Wessel and his team in this new capacity.