The 59th edition of NAMPO Harvest Day 2026 closed last Friday after attracting a total of 81 822 visitors over four days, narrowly below the 81 945 visitors recorded in 2023, further cementing its status as the largest agricultural exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere.
This year’s edition also recorded a single-day attendance record of 24 579 visitors on Wednesday, driven largely by the massive turnout for Toyota South Africa Motors’ attempt to set multiple Guinness World Records celebrating the launch of the all-new ninth-generation Hilux.
According to organisers, a total of 311 attendees arrived via airplanes, while 100 came by helicopter, contributing to an overall 657 aircraft movements recorded during the show.
Growing ties between agriculture and mobility
The agricultural calendar now shifts to the Cape edition of NAMPO Cape 2026, which is scheduled to take place between September 9-12 at Bredasdorp Park (Mega Park) in the Overberg region of the Western Cape.
Beyond farming equipment and agricultural innovation, NAMPO 2026 again highlighted the growing relationship between agriculture and mobility in South Africa.
The exhibition grounds featured a strong presence from automotive manufacturers including Toyota South Africa Motors, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa, Isuzu Motors South Africa, Volkswagen Group Africa, Jaguar Land Rover South Africa, Mahindra South Africa, Suzuki Auto South Africa, Tata Africa, GWM South Africa, and Porsche South Africa, alongside major truck brands like FAW, Volvo, MAN, and Daimler, and agricultural machinery companies such as John Deere, Massey Ferguson, CLAAS, and others.
With the increasing visibility of vehicle manufacturers at NAMPO, attention is already shifting towards the 2027 edition and whether even more automotive brands like BYD, Chery, Jetour and others will use the agricultural showcase to connect with South Africa’s farming economy.
Future of developing farmers
One of the major discussions on the final day focused on the future of developing farmers and the need to accelerate commercialisation within the agricultural sector.
Grain SA’s farmer development division, Phahama Grain Phakama (PGP), hosted a high-level plenary roundtable bringing together government leaders, organised agriculture and private sector stakeholders.
Held under the theme “Empowering Developing Farmers to Commercialisation”, the discussion tackled challenges around access to finance, land ownership, infrastructure, training and market access.
The dialogue featured Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, Free State MEC for agriculture Elsabé Rockman, African Farmers Association of South Africa president AJ Mthembu, and representatives from Bayer and Kagiso Trust.
PGP chairperson Jeremia Mathebula said the organisation’s goal was to help farmers transition from subsistence farming into sustainable commercial agriculture through mentorship, training and improved access to markets and finance.
Mathebula also announced plans to identify and support five developing farmers per province over the next five years as part of a focused commercialisation programme.
Infrastructure challenges highlighted
A major talking point during the session was the urgent need to convert state land leases into bankable assets to unlock agricultural finance.
Steenhuisen acknowledged that many developing farmers operating on state-owned land still struggle to secure funding because they lack title deeds.
“Where farmers are successfully farming on state land, we should be giving those title deeds over to those farmers. They have earned their stripes,” Steenhuisen said.
Infrastructure challenges, including deteriorating rural roads, logistics bottlenecks, rising fuel prices and limited storage facilities, were also identified as key barriers affecting farmer profitability and market access.
Stakeholders further emphasised the importance of innovation, digital agriculture technologies and practical skills development programmes to improve productivity and long-term sustainability within the sector.
- NAMPO Harvest Day 2026 attracted 81,822 visitors over four days, slightly less than 2023, but maintained its status as the largest agricultural exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere.
- A single-day attendance record of 24,579 was set on Wednesday, driven by Toyota South Africa Motors' Guinness World Records attempt for the new ninth-generation Hilux launch.
- The event showcased strong participation from major automotive and agricultural equipment manufacturers, highlighting growing ties between agriculture and mobility in South Africa.
- A plenary roundtable focused on empowering developing farmers to commercialise, addressing challenges like finance access, land ownership, infrastructure, and training, with a new program to support five farmers per province over five years.
- Infrastructure issues such as lack of bankable land titles, poor rural roads, logistics, and storage were highlighted as barriers, alongside the need for digital agriculture and skills development to enhance sector productivity and sustainability.
One of the major discussions on the final day focused on the future of developing farmers and the need to accelerate commercialisation within the agricultural sector.
Grain SA’s farmer development division, Phahama Grain Phakama (PGP), hosted a high-level plenary roundtable bringing together government leaders, organised agriculture and private sector stakeholders.
Held under the theme “
PGP chairperson Jeremia
A major talking point during the session was the urgent need to convert state land leases into bankable assets to unlock agricultural finance.
Steenhuisen acknowledged that many developing farmers operating on state-owned land still struggle to secure funding because they lack title deeds.
“Where farmers are successfully farming on state land, we should be giving those title deeds over to those farmers.
Infrastructure challenges, including deteriorating rural roads, logistics bottlenecks, rising fuel prices and limited storage facilities, were also identified as key barriers affecting farmer profitability and market access.
Stakeholders further emphasised the importance of innovation, digital agriculture technologies and practical skills development programmes to improve productivity and long-term sustainability within the sector.
