South African to lead World Farmers' Organisation

Cape Town - Dr Theo de Jager, a past deputy president of Agri SA, has been elected president of the World Farmer’s Organisation.

This is the first South African to lead the World Farmer’s Organisation, according to Johannes Möller, president of Agri SA. 

For the past eight years De Jager represented Agri SA at the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Union (SACAU) and as president of the organisation since 2013. He recently stepped down as president of the Pan African Farmers Organisation (PAFO) as well as chairperson of the Non-state Actors Coalition of Nepad.

He also served for 10 years in Agri SA’s General Council, as chairperson of Agri SA’s General Affairs Chamber as well as the Transformation Committee.  

The WFO is an organisation of agricultural producers that aims to strengthen farmers' positions within value chains, with a particular focus on smallholder farmers. By advocating on behalf of farmers and representing their interests in international policy forums, the WFO supports farmers in better managing extreme price volatility, leveraging market opportunities, and timely access to market information.  

“We believe that through constructive engagement with the WFO under the leadership of Dr De Jager the WFO will continue to be instrumental in creating a conducive environment for agricultural investment and development in the world,” said Möller.

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