Sunflower and Soybean Forum
Meeting held on 28 January 2026 at the offices of the Oilseeds Industry, 49 River Road, Woodmead and via MS Teams
Opening
Mr JP Botma opened the meeting with prayer.
Welcome
The Chairperson, Mr JP Botma, welcomed everybody present at the meeting.
Attendance
Present
Mr JP Botma Chairperson Dr E Briedenhann PRF/OAC Ms AS de Beer ARC-GCI Mr GP de Beer Researcher Mr M Jansen van Rensburg DARDLEA Mr G Keun CEO PRF/OPDT/OAC Ms W Louw SAGL Mr P Lovelace OAC/SAOPA Dr S Ma’ali ARC-GCI Mr W Makgoga ARC-GCI Mr P Nell Nexgro SA Ms T Ntshangase NAMC Ms M Pienaar GrainSA Mr B Schultz SAGIS Ms K Truter Winfield United SA Ms J Tselentis SANCU Dr C van der Merwe AgbizGrain Ms M du Preez PRF Ms A Schoeman PRF Via MS Teams
Dr Z Bello ARC-GCI Mr C Cloete Rolfes Agri Mr H Davies Eden Social Development Mr J Kotzé SACOTA Prof S Lamprecht ARC-PHP Dr K Leeuw ARC-API Ms J Mabuso Department of Agriculture Ms W MacPherson Andermatt Mr V Mapfumari Department of Agriculture Prof F Meyer PRF/BFAP Mr V Mpumza JSE Ms N Mudzunga Department of Agriculture Mr W Oosthuizen GrainSA Ms H Ottermann BFAP Mr C Pelster Agricol Dr L Phaleng AFMA Mr T Phasoana ARC-PHP Ms L Ramakuela Department of Agriculture Mr C Rasoesoe DTI Mr A Rossouw Agricol Dr L Rothmann UFS Ms S Rudolph RCL Foods Ms M Scheepers Department of Agriculture Mr L Schoonraad Corteva Mr F Stella GDM Seeds Ms L van Blommestein RCL Foods Mr N van Burick Landbouweekblad Mr C van Coller Farmer Dr G van Coller ICA International Chemicals Dr A van der Vyver SACOTA Ms R van Wyk Nedan Oils Dr C van Zyl Andermatt Mr C Wegner PPECB Apologies
Mr A Bennett SACTA Ms L Breytenbach AFMA Ms L Bronkhorst ARC-GCI Ms J Gcabashe ARC-GCI Mr C Louw GrainSA Dr M Lubinga NAMC Mr A Theron PRF Mr K van Huyssteen SANSOR Personalia
Mr Wessel van Wyk passed away, and sincere condolences were conveyed to his family.
Mr Arno Janse van Vuuren (NWK) passed away, and sincere condolences were conveyed to his family.
Confirmation of the agenda
The Agenda was accepted with the following addition:
Item 14.1 Grain Surveillance and Diagnostics. Approval of minutes
Minutes of a meeting of the Sunflower and Soybean Forum held on 2 October 2025 and referral to website
The minutes of the Sunflower and Soybean Forum meeting held on 2 October 2025 were considered and accepted as a true reflection of the meeting, subject to a minor amendment.
Resolution:
- That the minutes of the Sunflower and Soybean Forum held on 2 October 2025 be accepted as a true and fair reflection of that meeting, subject to a minor amendment, and that the minutes be referred to the Oilseeds Industry’s website for publication.
Mr Keun
OAC
- That the minutes of the Sunflower and Soybean Forum held on 2 October 2025 be accepted as a true and fair reflection of that meeting, subject to a minor amendment, and that the minutes be referred to the Oilseeds Industry’s website for publication.
Market aspects
Current Oil Seed Prices: Local and International
Dr Briedenhann gave a brief overview by way of a presentation on the status of the local and international soybean and sunflower markets, with aspects such as production, prices, supply and demand, amongst others, being covered.
SAGIS
The contents of the latest SAGIS Weekly Bulletin and the latest Monthly Bulletin included in Annexure B were noted. Cognisance was taken that this and other data were published on the SAGIS website.
Mr Schultz gave a brief overview of SAGIS information by way of a presentation for the period 2015/16-2025/26.
Weekly information on Sunflower and Soybean oilcake imports and exports
(Resolution 7.2.1.1 of The Sunflower and Soybean Forum held on 02/10/2025)
Mr Keun mentioned that the application, along with the additional motivation from GrainSA, were discussed at the OAC and OPDT meetings, but funding was declined.
Mr Keun also mentioned that an official letter would be sent to inform GrainSA of the outcome of the application.
Resolution:
- That it be noted that the application from GrainSA regarding "Weekly information on Sunflower and Soybean oilcake imports and exports", be declined and that an official letter would be sent to inform GrainSA of the outcome of the application.
Mr Keun
OAC
SSF
GrainSA
- That it be noted that the application from GrainSA regarding "Weekly information on Sunflower and Soybean oilcake imports and exports", be declined and that an official letter would be sent to inform GrainSA of the outcome of the application.
South African Supply and Demand Estimates Committee (SASDEC)
The contents of the latest Supply and Demand Estimates Committee report included in the agenda as Annexure C were noted.
Ms Ntshangase gave a brief overview by way of a presentation on the South African Supply and Demand Estimates and relevant information.
Crop Estimates
The contents of the latest Crop Estimates report included in the agenda as Annexure D, were noted.
Cognisance was taken of the contents of the presentation by the Crop Estimates Committee regarding the preliminary areas planted for soybeans and sunflowers. An overview was provided of the areas planted with sunflower and soybeans during the period 2010-2026.
Value chain aspects
Processing
Mr Lovelace mentioned that the crushing of soybeans progressing well with very small margins and that the upcoming season promising to be better than the current season. Mr Lovelace also mentioned that there was a lack of usage of rail transport. Mr Lovelace mentioned that crushing of sunflowers would increase in comparison to the previous season mainly due to imports.
Ms Van Blommenstein mentioned that the last seed outloaded from the silos was of poor quality in respect of oil content and moisture, and there was not enough local product available for crushing purposes. Mr Lovelace responded to Ms Van Blommenstein's remark, agreeing that the current quality of seed outloaded was of very poor quality and the oil content was very low.
Trading
Dr Van der Vyver shared an article published in a newsletter to the forum regarding logistics.
Logistics: the hidden constraint
Reaching export parity on paper does not automatically guarantee smooth exports in practice.
Logistics will be a decisive factor. South Africa's export programme will likely be dominated by maize, which traditionally claims the bulk of available deep-sea export slots. If maize exports are strong, soybean exports may face congestion or higher costs, even if prices signal that exports are economically viable.
This creates the risk of temporary domestic oversupply, where local prices come under pressure not because global markets are weak, but because logistics limit the speed at which surplus beans can move offshore.
Dr Van der Vyver referred to the article published that prices would decline to export parity level and that there would be competition in the harbour between maize and soybeans, but that it was not guaranteed that soybean exports would materialise because maize have preference.
Dr Van der Vyver mentioned that SACOTA was working with the East London harbour to assist with increasing their efficiency and export numbers.
Dr Van der Merwe mentioned that Agbiz Grain have sent invites to private rail operators regarding the transportation of commodities and feedback was awaited.
Storage
Dr Van der Merwe mentioned that a Maize Technical Committee meeting took place and that the self-regulating document for maize, wheat and soybeans were discussed. Dr van der Merwe also mentioned that the next meeting of the Maize Technical Committee was scheduled for 9 February 2026.
Dispute Resolution Process
The matter was discussed under discussion point 8.3.
JSE/SAFEX
Mr Mpumza mentioned that the JSE issued an update on the Multiple Reference Point Model in July 2025 and invited industry role-players to comment by 21 September 2025. Mr Mpumza noted the importance of submitting feedback, as it will support the evaluation of the model's two-year trial. He also highlighted that the trial was nearing completion, ending on 28 February 2026.
Mr Mpumza also mentioned that despite the trial period concluding, the JSE confirmed that the model will continue for one additional season (2026/27) while it finalises its full assessment to determine whether the model has met the required success criteria. The JSE will communicate its decision to the industry role-players once this evaluation was completed.
SACTA
No new information was reported.
Consumers of Oil Seeds
Ms Tselentis mentioned that the consumers were concerned about the availability of soybean oil. Ms Tselentis also mentioned that the availability of soybeans in large quantities at retailers were also a concern.
Dr Briedenhann mentioned that both generic marketing and soybean preparation were topics addressed at the meetings of the Soya Food Forum.
Production: Soybeans and Sunflower
Producer Matters
KwaZulu-Natal
General
Mr Davies mentioned that the plantings of the commercial farmers in the Bergville, Estcourt and Winterton areas look promising. The small-scale farmers in the Newcastle, Dannhauser and Utrecht areas had hail and pigeon damage. The farmers in the Newcastle, Vryheid, Paulpietersburg and Pongola areas experienced some flooding.
Mpumalanga and Gauteng
General
Mr Janse van Rensburg mentioned that the plantings were finalised in the optimal planting window. Rainfall and cooler weather conditions delayed the plant development but the temperatures increased in the last 2 (two) weeks.
North West Province
General
Mr Van Coller mentioned that soybeans and sunflower were planted on time. Soybeans struggled with heat conditions.
Mr De Beer mentioned that soybeans were planted early and were looking good but in some areas hail damage was experienced. It was noted that 2000 hectares in the Schweizer-Reneke area got damaged by hail.
Limpopo Province
General
No new information was reported.
Free State
General
The Chairperson mentioned that early and late plantings took place but that rain was needed. In the Hoopstad and Bultfontein areas the crops were looking good.
Mr Van Coller mentioned that the farmers in the Hoopstad area planted soya and moved away from planting maize.
Eastern and Northern Cape and South Western Districts
General
No new information was reported.
Soybean value chain
Prof Meyer mentioned that the next meeting of the Soybean Value Chain was scheduled for 3 March 2026 and that the focus would be on NBTs (New Breeding Techniques).
Sunflower value chain
Dr Briedenhann highlighted the following aspects that were continuously being addressed by the Sunflower Value Chain:
- Quality of sunflower seed;
- High oil content sunflower seed; and
- Sclerotinia.
Research
Soybeans
National cultivar trials
Ms A de Beer provided a brief overview of the National Soybean Cultivar Trials of the 2025/2026 season by way of a presentation, referring to the localities and mentioned that of the 32 (thirty-two) cultivars included in the trials, 15 (fifteen) were new technology cultivars.
Mr Keun mentioned that an article would be published in the March 2026 edition of the Oilseeds Focus regarding the results of the National Soybean Cultivar Trials of the 2025/2026 season.
Sclerotinia
Dr Rothmann mentioned that soybean cultivars grown in Delmas from the national cultivar trials were screened for clerotinia sclerotiorumS under inoculated conditions. A project focused on remote sensing was underway at the UFS to determine whether Sclerotinia stem rot of soybean could be detected before it was visible to the human eye.
Dr Rothmann also mentioned that in respect of sunflower, the early desiccation of at-risk sunflower using a diquat-based herbicide has been completed, and that the data for the final season was being collected. Feedback would be shared in a popular article at the end of the year, together with an economic component to determine feasibility. This seems like a viable practice for sunflower producers where Sclerotinia head rot infections were observed in the field.
Dr Rothmann furthermore mentioned that the second season of fungicide registration trials for Sclerotinia head rot of sunflower was underway at three climatically distinct locations, with three planting dates, alongside two international companies (permission pending for disclosure).
The Community of Practice remains active. Stakeholders were encouraged to follow online platforms under #SclerotiniaZA. Farmers were encouraged to send photos of suspected apothecia to Dr Lisa Rothmann (0792709691) for assistance with identification and confirmation of disease risk. These images will also be incorporated into a new project initiated within Computer Science at UFS by Dr Rothmann.
Rhizobium
The contents of the document containing information regarding registered Rhizobium included as Annexure E, were noted.
Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS)
Mr Phasoana provided an update on the progress made in the Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) research project. Mr Phasoana acknowledged OPDT/OAC for the funding support that enabled key achievements, including the identification of the Fusarium species associated with SDS in South Africa and the development of reliable molecular diagnostic tools for the detection and quantification of the pathogen in plants, soil, and seed. Mr Phasoana also reflected on disease management trials presented at the October 2025 meeting, where clear differences in cultivar response were observed, and effective chemical seed treatments were identified as part of an integrated management strategy. Since the October 2025 meeting, an oral presentation was delivered on 21 January 2026 at the 54th SASPP Congress in Durban, focusing on the SDS phytosanitary compliance work related to the China export market. The presentation was well received by researchers and industry stakeholders. A SDS surveillance trip was planned for February 2026 to support the China export protocol requirements. In collaboration with GrainSA, twelve commercial soybean farms in the Eastern Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga would be sampled to generate structured surveillance evidence.
Weeds and Weed Resistance
No new information was reported.
Research Projects: 2026/2027 Financial Year
Mr Keun mentioned that the consideration of the project proposals for the 2026/2027 financial year were finalised, and recommendations would be referred to the Oil & Protein Seeds Development Trust (OPDT) for funding purposes.
"Green" Soybeans
Mr Keun mentioned that the second article focusing on “Management Practices” was submitted by Prof Swanepoel and would be published in the March 2026 edition of the Oilseeds Focus.
Mr Keun also suggested that the forum could step off the matter.
"Purple" Soybeans
Dr Rothmann mentioned that they would continue to explore the Cercospora purple seed staining during the disease surveys with the NCT surveillance at the University of the Free State.
Mr Keun suggested that the forum could step off the matter.
Soybean Seed Quality
Ms Louw mentioned that the quality reports were published on SAGL’s website.
Sunflower
National cultivar trials
Dr S Ma’ali gave a brief overview by way of a presentation of the National Sunflower Cultivar Trials for the 2025/2026 season, referring to the localities and mentioned that of the 17 (seventeen) cultivars included in the trials, 4 (four) were new cultivars.
Sclerotinia
The matter was discussed under discussion point 12.1.2.
Weeds and Weed Resistance
No new information was reported.
Research Projects: 2026/2027 Financial Year
The matter was discussed under discussion point 12.1.6.
Technology transfer
Articles
The contents of the articles, included in Annexure F, were noted.
Information Days 2026
The Chairperson requested that any dates of “Information Days” be forwarded to the Administration for circulation to the SSF members.
An AIS “Insette Dag” was planned for 4 March 2026 at Leeuwpoort Proefplaas, Delmas.
Videos
The Chairperson requested that educational videos be forwarded to Ms Du Preez for uploading on the website.
Oilseeds Focus
Dr Briedenhann mentioned that the editorial committee was busy finalising the March 2026 edition of the Oilseeds Focus.
"Grow for Gold" National Yield Competition | Grain SA
Ms Pienaar mentioned that the "Grow for Gold" National Yield Competition awards evening were scheduled for 22 September 2026.
Additional matters
Grain Surveillance and Diagnostics
Dr L Rothmann mentioned that it was the third consecutive season of disease surveillance conducted during the national cultivar trials for soybean and sunflower. She expressed her sincere appreciation to the Agricultural Research Council: Grain Crops, Ms A de Beer and Dr S Ma'ali in particular for allowing them to work alongside the ARC and the respective seed companies. Annual feedback was provided in the SA Grain magazine.
Dr L Rothmann also mentioned that grain producers were informed that they may send samples for diagnostics, although the program at the UFS was currently in preliminary phases of being fully structured. Once the full structure was in place, further details would be shared.
Outstanding contributions by an individual, which promotes the OPDT/OAC’s objectives
The Chairperson of the OAC, Dr Erhard Briedenhann presented the award “Outstanding contributions by an individual, which promotes the OPDT/OAC’s objectives” to Ms A de Beer.
Election of office bearers
Election of Vice-chairperson
(Resolution 15.1.2 of The Sunflower and Soybean Forum held on 02/10/2025)
Mr Keun explained the election procedures and the terms of reference of the Vice-chairperson of the forum.
He requested members of the forum to submit nominations for the election of a new Vice-chairperson. Nominations were submitted via WhatsApp to the cell phone number shown on the screen. Members’ names as well as the nominee, to be included in the message.
The forum proceeded with an election process. Messrs K van Huyssteen and C Louw were nominated for the position. Mr K van Huyssteen was elected as Vice-chairperson of the Sunflower and Soybean Forum. It was noted that he would also serve as representative of the Sunflower Seed Forum on the Oilseeds Advisory Committee.
Resolutions:
- That it be noted that Mr K van Huyssteen was elected as Vice-chairperson of the Sunflower and Soybean Forum.
Mr Botma
Mr Keun
SSF
OAC - That it be noted that Mr K van Huyssteen would also serve as representative of the Sunflower Seed Forum on the Oilseeds Advisory Committee for the term 1 March 2026 to end February 2027.
Mr Botma
Mr Keun
SSF
OAC
- That it be noted that Mr K van Huyssteen was elected as Vice-chairperson of the Sunflower and Soybean Forum.
Dates of meetings for 2026
- 20 May 2026
- 30 September 2026
Adjournment
There being no further business for discussion, the meeting was adjourned.