The first national exhibition and conference dedicated to the latest products, services and concepts in the heavy vehicle industry was officially opened at the Tshwane Events Centre in Pretoria West this morning by the deputy minister of agriculture, Dr Pieter Mulder.

The inaugural HeavyWeight Expo, organised by the Tshwane Business and Agricultural Corporation (Tshwabac) and incorporating the fifth annual Workshop and Aftermarket Technology Show (WATS), has attracted over 170 exhibitors whose products are displayed in three of the biggest halls at the Old Pretoria Showgrounds, covering some 17 000 square metres, and also in a 30 000 square metre outside display area.

In his opening address, the minister spoke about the challenge of food security and producing enough food in the world to feed the growing global population.  He said that, in order to meet these needs, the world’s farmers would have to produce 2% more food each year until achieving an increase of 50% in 2030.  This product ion would have to double again by 2050.  This meant that in just 20 years’ time we would have to produce half as much more than we are [producing today.

There was only around 1,5-million hectares of farmland under production in the world and to meet the needs of the future another 1,5-miilion hectares would have to be found by 2050.  This equated to a country the size of India and was clearly not possible unless all the rain forests were cut down.

Pressure on the planet’s water sources was also an issue, he said. 

With this in mind it was clear that farming as it is known today would not be able to cope with the challenges of limited productive land and the ever-increasing pressure of food security.

The answer lay in technology, he said, including the technology represented by the vehicles and products on display at the country’s first HeavyWeight Expo, and research and the sharing of knowledge through training.  With this technology productivity will be improved and the farmer will be able to do more with less.

It was against this background that a commercial exhibition and conference like the HeavyWeight Expo was of utmost importance in South Africa, as it created an environment conducive for export and production opportunities.  These opportunities were essential to building our economy and in the fight against unemployment.

The HeavyWeight Expo is a shop window for the economic activities of a very important sector in our economy in South Africa, he added.  In addition, he believed that it would contribute towards a more positive economic atmosphere in South Africa.

The Expo is open to the public on Friday.

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