South Africa as new market for agricultural, stretch and packaging films

The German film extrusion specialist POLIFILM EXTRUSION is driving forward its international expansion. As new sales markets for agricultural, stretch and packaging films, the focus is on South Africa and its neighbouring countries.

"The South African market offers enormous development potential for sales, especially in the agricultural sector," says Marc Luther, Head of Corporate Development POLIFILM and responsible for this expansion of sales activities. "The climatic conditions in the country create a multitude of prospective fields of application that can be realised with our portfolio".
According to Luther, the focus is on increasing yields and conserving resources for farmers. When used in a well thought-out manner, the film solutions can help to save the scarce resource water and increase plant growth for a larger yield at low cost and with little effort. In this way, the film products offer an opportunity to strengthen the local economy, which in large parts of South Africa is also characterised by micro farming, and thus to offer the community new opportunities.

The product range selected for market entry, consisting of silage solutions, agricultural stretch and greenhouse films, perforated stretch films and film solutions for plant cultivation and breeding, is subsumed under the microclimate solutions approach. "Each of the films we select for the market has its own way of influencing the microclimate on which plant growth and harvest success depend," Luther explains the concept. In line with the general corporate philosophy of Excellence in Films, the company's goal is to be a reliable and advisory partner for farmers as well as retailers along the value chain. To achieve this, POLIFILM EXTRUSION relies on cooperation with local partners and its own sales team.

An approach that the POLIFILM subgroup POLIFILM PROTECTION successfully succeeded several years ago. "The exchange within the POLIFILM Group has confirmed our initial assessment that the prevailing mentality in the country, characterised by openness and fair business relations, matches us", Luther continues.

For the market launch, the company from Weißandt-Gölzau chose the largest agricultural trade fair in the southern hemisphere, NAMPO Harvest DAY. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will take place digitally for the first time in the period from 9.09. - 12.09.2020.