“South Africa needs a strong agricultural sector if we are going to produce enough to support food security, remain globally competitive, and continue giving consumers access to quality, affordable food,” says Tjaart Kruger, CEO of Tiger Brands. “Farmers need sustainable markets, and food manufacturers need reliable, competitive local supply. Partnerships like this allow us to combine academic knowledge with practical industry experience to solve real and complex problems.”
Turning agricultural research into practical solutions
From the University’s perspective, the partnership provides an opportunity to apply academic research to practical challenges across the agricultural value chain.
“Universities have an important role to play in addressing the complex challenges facing agriculture, but research has the greatest impact when it responds to real challenges and is translated into solutions that can be implemented on the ground. This partnership creates a platform where the knowledge and expertise of our researchers can be brought together with Tiger Brands’ understanding of markets, processing, and the food value chain,” says Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies at the University of the Free State.
Prof Paul Oberholster, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State, agrees. “By bringing our researchers, students and industry partners together around real-world challenges, we can contribute to improving productivity, sustainability and resilience across key agricultural commodities,” he says.
More than 90% of Tiger Brands’ revenue is derived from food and beverages, while 70% of its agricultural procurement spend in 2025 was directed to local agricultural producers. Strengthening local sourcing resilience and competitiveness is therefore important to both Tiger Brands’ business and the long-term security of its agricultural supply.
Key commodities in scope for the strategic partnership include sorghum, wheat, small white beans, groundnuts, and tomatoes. The company sees considerable opportunity to improve germination, yields, crop quality, and processing performance across these crops, while strengthening value-chain economics and sustainable agricultural practices in response to evolving climate, water, pest, disease, and pathogen risks.
“Our ambition at the University of the Free State is to contribute not only to better research outcomes, but also to a more productive, resilient, and inclusive agricultural sector. By bringing industry, researchers, students, and producers closer together, we can accelerate the journey from knowledge to implementation and create value throughout the agricultural value chain,” says Prof Reddy.
Kruger says the industry must look beyond immediate challenges and invest for the longer term to build resilience and competitiveness.
“We cannot think only about the next planting season or production cycle. We need to plan for the challenges and opportunities we will face in five, ten or more years, and start preparing for them today. Research can help us understand what we should plant, where we should plant it, and how productivity and resilience can be improved in ways that work for farmers, manufacturers, and ultimately, consumers.”
“By bringing farmers, academia, and industry closer together, we can move research into practice, support local production, and contribute to a more resilient food system,” says Kruger.