The Western Cape will reveal its top agricultural employee for 2015 at a gala function on November 7 at the Nederburg wine estate, in Paarl, after 1 247 people participated in this year’s competition, a 20% increase on 2014.

Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities Alan Winde said in a statement on Wednesday that the finalists were “excellent ambassadors for our agriculture sector”.

The province’s top agriprofessional would receive a cash prize and an overseas trip.

The final regional competitions took place over the last month, with Winde emphasising that the winners of the regional competition played an important role in food security.
 
The overall winner for the Langeberg region was Johan Jantjies, an employee of the La Colline farm for 28 years, who entered the Middle Management category.
  
Anna Wildschutt from the Goedgedacht farm outside Riebeek Kasteel was named the overall winner for Swartland, while Lewellin Lewies was the regional farm worker of the year for Elgin, Grabouw, Vyeboom & Villiersdorp.
 
Lewies was entered in the Junior Management category and had been employed on the Bo-Radyn farm for 22 years.
  
The regional farm worker of the year for Koup/Central Karoo was Anrich Koning, an employee at Highlands (between Beaufort West and Loxton), where he manages two farms.

Koning was entered in the Middle Management category.
  
Cornel Paulse was the 2015 regional farm worker of the year for Franschhoek and had been the junior manager at Glenwood Vineyards, since 2011.
  
The Stellenbosch regional competition winner was Willie Booysen, a junior manager at Jonkersdrift. He was also the chairperson of the farm committee.
  
For Piket Bo-Berg, Alex Shoko, a middle manager on the Moutons Valley farm, walked away with top honours, while Jacob Diratsagae was named the 2015 farm worker of the year for the Berg River region.
           
Diratsagae had been the junior manager on Broodkraal Estate (Bergsig), in Piketberg, for the last four years.

As part of the selection process, entrants were interviewed by a panel of agricultural experts on a range of issues, such as transformation and their vision for the future of the sector.

Winners were chosen in 11 categories, including best irrigation specialist, agroprocessing specialist and technical operator.

The Farm Worker of the Year Competition was cosponsored by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture and retailer Shoprite.

“It is thanks to the hard work of the farmers and farm workers that we have produce in our supermarkets. That is why we are so proud to be associated with this competition,” explained Freshmark/Shoprite GM Dr Johan van Deventer.

Regional winners and runners-up would receive cash prizes and shopping vouchers from Shoprite.

Since 2002, more than 6 000 agriculture employees had entered the competition.