Agribusiness

Botswana’s agriculture and agro-processing sector is rife with opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs, according to the speakers at the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre’s webinar on 31 March, which was hosted by Farmer’s Weekly.

When the Beukes brothers expanded their table grape farming operation from the Hex River Valley to Brandwacht near Worcester in the Western Cape, they had no idea of the challenges this would bring. Jacques Beukes shared some of the lessons they learnt with Wouter Kriel.

This St. Patrick’s Day, see where heritage meets innovation in Ireland’s Agritech industry.

Thinking of producing medical cannabis? Glenneis Kriel spoke to industry pioneers about the opportunities and pitfalls for growers of this crop.

Senwes is committed to financing black farmers to a value of at least R20 million for the 2022/23 season.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the rate of digital integration and sped up advances crucial to the future success of many industries, including agriculture. Lindi Botha reports on the main trends that will influence farming this year.

The HelloChoice online platform allows farmers to easily find buyers for their commodities, bringing with it improved transparency and security.

The global beef market is highly competitive and difficult to break into. With South Africa’s beef export industry still in its infancy, Susan Marais explores the reasons why Chinese consumers might not be the most willing buyers of our product, and looks at what the local beef industry could learn from its top competitors’ strategies.

Beekeeper Ryno Barnes recently replaced his wooden hives with hives made of polyvinyl chloride foam board, a unique lightweight, eco-friendly material. So impressed was he with the results that he launched a separate company to manufacture these hives for other beekeepers.

The future of the country’s sugar cane sector has never been more uncertain and, as a result, the livelihoods of many thousands of people hang in the balance. Could the South African Sugarcane Value Chain Master Plan be the lifeline that the industry has been waiting for? Susan Marais reports.

Nico Laubscher of Alzanne Boerdery is constantly on the lookout for ways to improve business efficiencies, and this led to him exploring solar energy as a way of reducing his electricity bill and carbon footprint. Laubscher and Paul Kotze of Solar Energy Architects spoke to Wouter Kriel about the unique placement of the solar panels.

In this, part one of a two-part series, Mariana Purnell, a consultant with eGrain, a provider of electronic warehouse receipts for the grain industry, discusses the challenges that changes to grain quality control pose for the industry. In particular, she focuses on producing maize according to particular standards for niche.