Southern African Grain Laboratories excels in crop-protection studies during COVID-19

Amid the COVID-19-related challenges faced over the past year, many agricultural institutions were hard hit and some even had to close their doors. For the Southern African Grain Laboratories, however, it was a year of growth and reaching new heights.

- Mariana Purnell

Boikanyo Mokgatle, chairperson of the Southern African Grain Laboratory (SAGL), announced at the institution’s annual general meeting in November 2021 that its average revenue had increased 12% year-on-year in the 2020/21 financial year.

This growth was due in part to the achievements of SAGL’s Crop Protection Division (CPD). According to Mokgatle, SAGL had been quick to respond to the requirements for shelf life extension of South Africa’s pesticides, as set out in Act No. 36 of 1947, issued in November 2015 by the Registrar of the then Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

To provide the necessary services to the manufacturers of pesticides used in the agriculture sector, SAGL immediately started planning the development of the CPD, which eventually opened its doors in 2017. Since then, the CPD had grown systematically, and has now generated 14% of SAGL’s total revenue.

A CRUCIAL LINK IN THE CHAIN

According to Mokgatle, the CPD provides physical and chemical studies on formulated plant-protection products, as required by the Registrar. The division has ISO 17025 accreditation and complies with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Principles of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP).

It has therefore played an important part in ensuring that agrochemical products comply with regulations, and thus also contributes to food safety. The biological efficacy of pesticides gradually decreases with time, and their shelf life defines the period that pesticides can be stored before they deteriorate.