South Africa
March 2, 2022
Dr Kulani Machaba, Regulatory Leader for Corteva Agriscience’s Africa Middle East (AME) region, and long-standing member of the South African National Seed Organisation (SANSOR) has been elected as the new President of the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) at the Association’s annual industry congress that was held in Djerba, Tunisia the past week.
Dr Machaba will be responsible for leading AFSTA in the coming term to deliver on the association’s strategic goals to inter alia improve food security across the continent through access to quality seed and the harmonisation of seed regulations. His term as president will officially begin at the conclusion of the congress on 3 March 2022.
Dr Machaba has more than 20 years’ experience in the agricultural sector and seed regulatory affairs. He is long-serving board member of AFTSA representing the South African National Seed Organisation (SANSOR) on the Board of AFSTA. As a valued member of SANSOR he served on various committees over the years. In 2005 he served on the GMO Committee as Deputy chair and from 2008 to 2017 as chair of that committee. He currently serves on the SANSOR Intellectual Property (IP) Standing Committee. He is also a member of the leadership Team of Corteva’s Crop Protection and Seed Business divisions in Africa.
“On behalf of SANSOR and its members, I would like to congratulate Dr Machaba on his election as President of AFSTA. SANSOR has always been supportive of AFSTA and we believe that under Dr Machaba’s leadership we will see a strengthening of seed policies enhancing seed trade in Africa. Dr Machaba has the full support of the board and broader membership of SANSOR. We believe that he will play a critical role in ensuring that governments across Africa base their seed regulatory decisions on sound scientific principles and in removing operational barriers, making it easier for global investors in the seed industry to operate in Africa,” says Dr Lukeshni Chetty, General Manager of SANSOR.
According to Dr Machaba, Africa still has a number of critical challenges to overcome when it comes to building resilient and sustainable food systems. “Agricultural sectors across Africa have felt the long-term effects of climate change, extreme weather events and the prevalence of pests and diseases. It is vital that regional and international regulations are underpinned by sound research and accurate data. This is the only way we can ensure that farmers are able to access innovative, scientific solutions to protect their yields and substantially increase food production.”
Contact Barbra Muzata, Corteva Agriscience at barbra.muzata@corteva.com to arrange for
interviews with Dr Machaba.
More about AFSTA
AFSTA is a non-profit membership association formed in the year 2000, with the aim of championing the interests of seed companies in Africa. AFSTA has approximately 100 members, comprising seed companies and national seed trade associations, amongst other key industry players.
For more information about the event visit: https://www.afsta.org/congress
More about SANSOR
SANSOR has served the needs of the South African Seed Industry for 30 years. Today, we support 118-member seed companies in various ways: from maintaining local and international seed certification standards, to ensuring that seed is produced, multiplied and marketed according to legislated standards and systems.
https://www.sansor.org
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