The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) has partnered with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation and the South African Essential Oils Producers Association to host a two-day hybrid conference in Pretoria from July 21 to 22.

The theme of the conference will be New Horizons and Innovations for the Essential and Vegetable Seed Oil Industry and is intended to increase the uptake of South African-produced essential and vegetable oils and to enhance their capacity to compete effectively internationally.

More than 150 delegates comprising suppliers, producers, buyers, exporters, importers, distributors, industry associations and government bodies, locally and internationally, are expected to participate in the conference and share information and experiences.

According to Trade, Industry and Competition Deputy Minister Nomalungelo Gina, the conference is in line with the mandate of the DTIC to promote locally manufactured products in various sectors of the economy with the aim of growing the South African economy, creating jobs, transforming the economy, promoting investments and generating foreign revenue through exports.

“[The DTIC] recognises the need and critical importance of equipping South African companies with the right knowledge, skills and expertise in order to enable them to operate in the entire value chain of the essential oils industry,” she says.

Gina adds that the DTIC would like to see such local companies increase the production of their products in terms of both quantity and quality to boost their contribution to South Africa’s economy, manufactured exports and job-creation efforts.

This is the second two-day conference the DTIC will host with key stakeholders, following a 2019 hosting of a conference aimed at kick-starting quality awareness among producers by transferring knowledge to owners and senior management in the selected essential and vegetable oils value chains.