Agribusiness

Farmer’s Weekly brings you the latest agribusiness news and updates from South Africa and the rest of Africa.

Romac rolls with the times

A father and daughter team from Zimbabwe bought a hydroponic farm and packhouse in Ballito in 2008. They positioned their business for growth by embracing government’s desire to advance black economic empowerment. Robyn Joubert reports.

Teach farming skills before it’s too late!

Too few SA youngsters are interested in agriculture as a career. Puso Segoe feels this is due to farmers failing to expose their children to farming from an early age. Fortunately, his father involved him fully, he told Peter Mashala.

Tobacco farming – the growers’ view

New proposals from the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to regulate international tobacco farming have raised concerns among Africa’s tobacco growers and processors. Francois van der Merwe, chairperson of the International Tobacco Growers’ Association: Africa and CEO of the Tobacco Institute of Southern Africa, provides an alternative perspective.

Orchids of Eden

Duckitt Nurseries was initially built on passion and four orchid species, but it is now the biggest cut flower and Cymbidium orchid farm in South Africa with a few hundred varieties. Keri Harvey reports.

Diversification: spreading the risk on a Tanzanian farm

Having too few production divisions can cause financial stress if markets fail. A Tanzanian operation has minimised the risk by launching a variety of enterprises in a relatively short time. Lloyd Phillips reports.

Swazi pots of gold

Eswatini Kitchen Honey is re-invigorating Swaziland’s honey industry through the promotion of bee-keeping as an income stream for poor communities. Robyn Joubert reports.

Local food markets: are they the answer?

Go big or get out is the current trend as farmers chase economies of scale. But any system which relies on shedding jobs and increasing monopolisation in order to reduce the price of a shelf item is fundamentally unsustainable, warns Luke Metelerkamp.

Rewarding productivity lifts performance

Training and performance monitoring are key to encouraging productivity in the workforce. Labour consultant Walter Blore shifts the paradigm and puts farming businesses on track. Robyn Joubert reports.

Hands-on grass farming

It’s a hard day’s work for the team as livestock farmer Gary Mitchell runs his commercial Drakensbergers and stud Dorpers in the KZN Midlands with minimal labour.

Alternative energy: Throwing caution to the wind?

Clean renewable energy or an imperfect solution? Are wind turbines the magic bullet for energy problems? Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.

Herding tractors: managing a large machinery fleet

Agricultural machinery and implements are vital to any commercial farming operation. It’s equally important that this equipment is well managed and maintained. Lloyd Phillips reports.

Game or the stock exchange?

Johan Rabie compares the investment performance of high value game species – with specific reference to buffalo and sable antelope – with investing on the JSE and other prominent stock exchanges.

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