Grain SA will lead a peaceful march to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in Sandton on Thursday, 13 August 2026, where producers and Grain SA leadership will hand over a petition and memorandum calling for the JSE to reconsider its decision regarding the soybean reference point system.
The march has received the necessary approval from the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department and forms part of Grain SA’s broader response to the JSE’s decision to reject the soybean Multiple Reference Point model.
Participants will assemble at Sandton Central Park at 09:00, with the procession beginning at 09:30. The petition and memorandum are scheduled to be handed over to JSE representatives at 10:00 at the JSE offices in Gwen Lane.
Grain SA believes that the return to a single reference point could have significant financial implications for producers and may introduce transport-related deductions that do not adequately reflect regional supply and demand or the actual physical movement of soybeans.
Of particular concern is that Grain SA and industry experts invested considerable technical work, data and industry input into the development and testing of an alternative model. Grain SA remains concerned that the reasons provided for rejecting the model were not supported by sufficient quantitative evidence and that the model was not adequately assessed against the criteria established for its evaluation.
“Producers have made it very clear that this decision matters to them. Thursday is about taking that message directly to the JSE in a peaceful, disciplined and factual manner,” says Richard Krige, Chairperson of Grain SA.
“We are not asking for preferential treatment. We are asking for a system that reflects actual grain flows, promotes market efficiency and does not create unnecessary costs in the value chain.”
The petition calls on the JSE to conduct a transparent, evidence-based review and ultimately adopt a fair and efficient price-discovery system that better reflects physical market realities.
The peaceful march forms part of Grain SA’s broader, multi-pronged response. Alongside the petition, memorandum and formal submission to the JSE.
“Our objective remains very clear: a credible, transparent and efficient price-discovery mechanism that works for the market as a whole,” says Dr Tobias Doyer, CEO of Grain SA. “Engagement remains important, but where a decision has potentially significant implications for producers, Grain SA has a responsibility to challenge it through the appropriate channels.”
Grain SA has emphasised that Thursday’s gathering will be peaceful and orderly.
