Like those of so many JSE mid caps, Omnia’s share price chart burns brightly red over three and five years. There were tough times for the group, including a share price collapse from late 2018 all the way to 2019.Then, after a rights issue of R2bn in September 2019 and the development of a turnaround plan, the group had to deal with Covid.It hasn’t been an easy period for Omnia, or for anyone else, for that matter; yet the share price is up nearly 40% this year in line with a strong performance by many JSE mid caps. If you looked at our local market, you would never believe that half the country was on fire in July.Omnia has a market cap of about R10.6bn and operates through three business segments: agriculture, mining and chemicals.The group is bigger than most people realise, with operations in 25 countries and over 4,000 employees. Omnia plays firmly in the so-called "real economy" — the sectors that are core to our country’s economic growth and job-creation prospects.In a recen...