South Africa

Leading agricultural organisations, thousands of producers, and more than 500 exhibitors are expected to gather in Bredasdorp, Western Cape, later this year for Nampo Cape 2026, according to the event’s organisers.

With the South African Weather Service confirming the onset of El Niño, Farmer’s Weekly spoke to South African agricultural stakeholders about the sector’s preparedness for the climate phenomenon ahead of the summer crop production season.

The Department of Agriculture is stepping up its foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) response in communal farming areas, with Deputy Minister Nokuzola Capa saying government is now focusing on communities that were not reached during the initial phase of the national vaccination campaign.

Sugar cane growers along the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) North Coast are battling an unexpected labour shortage during peak harvesting season, as many foreign workers have left farming communities following the March & March movement's recent mobilisations in the province and government's crackdown on undocumented foreign nationals.

A small batch of rooibos seeds from the Cederberg is set to embark on an extraordinary journey later this year, travelling thousands of kilometres from South Africa, via the United States, to the International Space Station (ISS) and back to local soil.

South Africa’s horticultural success has presented the industry with a conundrum, as the ever-increasing volumes of fruit require more specialised marketing campaigns to lift demand for these commodities.

South Africa's maize harvest is running about 14% behind last year's pace, but industry experts say there is little reason for concern, with the country still on track to produce a record 17,3 million tons of maize this season.

On 9 July, the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture celebrated the achievements of women farmers and extension officers during the OR Tambo District leg of the Women Entrepreneur Awards and Extension and Advisory Services Awards.

Grain SA has defended farmers’ role in South Africa’s food system to the South African Human Rights Commission, arguing that affordable food depends on a sustainable production base and an efficient value chain.

An unusually early-developing El Niño has sparked concerns that South Africa could face a hotter- and drier-than-normal 2026/27 summer. However, experts say it is still too early to predict the full extent of the climate phenomenon’s impact on the country’s agriculture sector.

While the Department of Agriculture is preparing to roll out its new vaccination strategy against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), industry experts say its success will depend on rigorous surveillance to detect and monitor the virus.

As international demand for rooibos continues to grow and new export opportunities emerge, industry leaders say protecting the product's geographical origin will be critical to ensuring its long-term value and supporting South African producers.

The Professional Hunters' Association of South Africa (PHASA) has issued updated best-practice guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) while ensuring hunting operations can continue without placing unnecessary burdens on the industry.

At a media briefing on 9 July, following negotiations with the Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai), Sakeliga, and Free State Agriculture, newly appointed Minister of Agriculture Willie Aucamp announced a settlement allowing the private sector to import and administer foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines.

Roads and bridges have largely been restored after the Western Cape floods earlier this year, but Ceres and Witzenberg fruit growers are still grappling with widespread damage to orchards, vineyards, irrigation infrastructure, and pump stations, as well as topsoil losses.

The 2026 Agroprocessing Convention & Expo, held on 2 and 3 July in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, focused on progress made in the local industry since the inaugural event last year while identifying priorities for the next phase of growth across the province's agro-processing value chain.

The spaza shops in South Africa and its township economy present the agriculture industry with a huge untapped market worth hundreds of billions of rands each year.

As African swine fever (ASF) and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks have slowed significantly, pork producers are rebuilding their herds, and healthy margins have returned. But, while the disease crisis has eased, rising imports and the prospect of higher feed costs are emerging as the industry’s next major challenges.

The closing date for entries into the 2026 South African Agricultural Awards has been extended to 31 July 2026, it was announced during a stakeholder breakfast briefing held in Midrand on 2 July 2026.

Load-shedding may have ended more than two years ago, but South African farmers remain trapped in an electricity crisis. With soaring tariffs, deteriorating distribution infrastructure, and policies that discourage independent power generation, the cost and reliability of electricity have emerged as growing threats to agricultural profitability, food security, and export competitiveness.