Press release
Agbiz Grain and the Peritum Agri Institute are collaborating to accelerate the development of grain silo managers in South Africa.
Agbiz Grain is an organisation that promotes the shared interests of commercial grain handlers and storage operators, the Agbiz Grain members, by providing support and influencing the grain industry.
South Africa produces an average of 13.5 million tonnes of maize and an additional 1.9 million tonnes of wheat annually. In addition, other grains such as barley and sorghum, as well as oilseeds like sunflower, canola, and soybeans, are also cultivated on a large scale.
Approximately 70% of the grain and oilseeds produced in South Africa are stored by the twelve members of Agbiz Grain. Collectively, these companies manage 334 silo complexes, which include concrete silos, silo bags, and bunkers.
The intake and storage of grains and oilseeds are managed by a grain depot manager, who ensures that the product is classified and graded according to the Agricultural Product Standards Act (Act No. 119 of 1990) before it can be traded. Storage operators also dry, aerate, and fumigate the product to ensure safe storage.
It typically takes between eight and twelve years to train a grain silo manager through on-the-job experience, making this profession a critical and scarce skill according to AgriSETA. In response, Agbiz Grain took the initiative to develop a qualification specifically for training grain silo managers.
The Occupational Certificate: Grain Depot Manager was accredited by the QCTO in 2023. Peritum Agri Institute was the first, and currently the only, training provider accredited to offer this qualification. Located in the Free State, Peritum College is now the largest private agricultural college in South Africa.
And here’s the exciting news!
Members of Agbiz Grain in the grain silo industry in South Africa, in collaboration with Peritum College, are now offering matriculants and young people under the age of 25 the opportunity to start a career in grain storage!
The Occupational Certificate: Grain Depot Manager is a practice-oriented course completed over a two-year period, preparing students for a career in grain storage management. In 2025, a guaranteed internship will be offered to 70 young South Africans who enrol in this study programme at Peritum Agri Institute.
In 2025, enrolled students will attend seven academic study weeks at the Peritum Campus, followed by online study of academic materials and TEAM-based sessions with their lecturers. During this year, students will cover the theoretical content of the qualification. They will also have the opportunity to visit the agricultural company where they will be placed for internships.
In year two, which will be 2026, students will be placed at a grain silo for ten months of workplace-based learning. This placement allows students to complete the practical components of the qualification and associated tasks.
In 2027, the placement transitions into a paid internship with the same agricultural company. This provides students with sufficient work experience before they take the final examination for the qualification at the end of 2028.
This programme not only speeds up the development process of grain silo managers but also offers young South Africans an affordable opportunity to gain both a relevant qualification and a job placement in the agricultural sector.
Internship placements are available in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West, the Free State, and the Western Cape.
For inquiries, please contact Odette Shepperson, Marketing Manager at Peritum Agri Institute. She can be reached at either marketing [at] peritumagri.com or by phone at 0861 228 467.
Relevant Agribook pages include “Grain storage and handling“
Photo by Bucur Ion: www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-a-silo-in-the-field-12380134/
