Farmer's Weekly (South Africa)
New body SA Wine CEO and board appointed
The new umbrella body for the South African wine and brandy industries, SA Wine, recently held its inaugural board meeting and announced Vinpro managing director Rico Basson as its CEO.
The Vinpro and South African Liquor Brand Owners’ Association appointed five producer directors and five brand owners to serve on the board of the non-profit company. They were Antoinette Vermooten, Anton Smuts, Boyce Lloyd, Sakkie du Toit, James Reid, Mohseen Moosa, Philip Retief, Rydal Jeftha, Vivian Kleynhans and Wessel du Wet.
Ronald Ramabulana was appointed as an independent board member and chairperson of the board, while Khumbuzile Mosoma, from the National Agricultural Marketing Council, was appointed as an observer.
Basson will take up his position on 1 June 2023. Two executives and other staff are expected to commence employment in July. Wanda Augustyn, head of communications at Vinpro, said 14 Vinpro and Winetech staff members would be transferred to SA Wine. Vacancies at Vinpro would be advertised, while Winetech would be dissolved into SA Wine.
Wine SA would be open for media comments once fully operational, either from
1 July or 1 August, depending on the staff employment and transferral process.
Vinpro said the amendment in industry support structures would bring muchneeded improved collaboration and would therefore add impact, as well as a more aligned and focused approach. This would make the wine industry more resilient, profitable and sustainable.
Basson announced plans to create SA Wine at the Vinpro Information Day in January, adding that it would help represent both producers and the trade, and address fear over fragmentation and duplication within the industry.
Vinpro research revealed that net farm income per hectare had been below sustainable levels since 2012, with the gap between these widening over time, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The year 2019 was an exception, as market prices were high because of drought conditions.
Producer return on investment averaged 2,4%, an improvement on the 1% of 2017, but still not enough to keep producers from pulling out vineyards in favour of more profitable crops. The research showed that only 9% of winemakers made enough to plant new vineyards.