Santam, South Africa’s largest short-term insurer, has scored an international accolade for the continent with the decision by the International Association of Agricultural Production Insurers (AIAG) to host the 2025 Loss Adjusters’ Seminar in Cape Town.

AIAG is an international body of the world’s leading agricultural production insurers, reinsurers and brokers. Founded in 1951 the organisation has the objective to promote the worldwide exchange of knowledge, experience and data between agricultural insurers. At its congresses and seminars, participants exchange information about adjusting techniques and how to manage risks for various agricultural crops.  

The three-day event will see more than 60 delegates from around the world converge in Cape Town to assess the impact of hail on plums and apples. Hail damage, according to Santam, accounts for approximately 90% of their business from an agricultural insurance perspective.

“As a long-standing member of the AIAG and a primary agricultural insurance provider on the continent, we are extremely proud to have been selected for the opportunity to host this event. Africa has one of the lowest Gross Written Premiums from a global agricultural insurance perspective at 1% of the global market, and we are therefore not widely represented on the international stage,” says Daniel Stevens, Executive Head: Agriculture at Santam.

“Hosting an event like this allows us to not only demonstrate our expertise in the agricultural and agricultural insurance sectors, but we will also show off our beautiful country to international delegates,” Stevens adds.

According to Stevens, a critical part of insuring crops against hail damage is the assessment of the damage to the crop after the storm has occurred. The international seminar will be on 24 to 27 February 2025. It will have speakers with expertise on hail damage, market trends, industry constraints, climate change, diseases, biosecurity and sustainability, among others.

“Assessments are challenging because the potential recovery of the crop is dependent on various factors such as the type of crop and when it gets damaged in the growth cycle. The seminar will focus on a practical demonstration of assessing hail damage to fruit while still on the trees – a critical factor to properly assess hail damage to crops,” says Stevens.

He adds that the individuals attending the seminar will be crop insurance assessors as well as re-insurance representatives.

“Delegates will be split into teams to practically assess the trees – after which the results of their assessments will be discussed.”

Stevens says that Santam is at the forefront of developing world-class, accurate agricultural damage claims assessment methodology and procedures as it is fortunate enough to be the only insurance company that has an experimental farm. The farm is in Bloemfontein, one of Santam’s key areas in terms of clients with crop insurance.

“Having an experimental farm of our own allows us to, among other important aspects, simulate the impact of hail in order to create accurate and practical assessment protocols and methodologies around it,” says Stevens. He says that to add depth to the simulations in terms of damage scenarios across different seasons, cultivars, and geographies – Santam also works with farmers across the country to execute trials and simulations.