Africa

Beef exports from Botswana to the EU will in future depend largely on adherence to the EU’s Deforestation Regulation that will become effective on 1 January 2025.

The agreement recently concluded between Zimbabwe and China in terms of the exportation of avocados to China created a significant opportunity for Zimbabwe to take advantage of the vast Chinese market. This was according to Linda Nielsen, CEO of the Zimbabwean Horticultural Development Council (HDC).

The Namibian government recently announced a plan to cull wild animals and to distribute the meat to food-insecure people because of the severe drought in the country.

The largest part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region could expect normal to above-normal rainfall between October and December 2024, according to a recent statement by the 29th Southern Africa Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF-29). The forum members met from 26 to 28 August in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Speaking at the recent annual Kulumba Traditional Ceremony of the Chewa people of Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, held in Zambia, Malawian Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture, Richard Chimwendo Banda said climate change posed a serious threat to his country and its people.

The Zimbabwe government’s latest announcement regarding compensation for land lost by white farmers during the land reform process in the 2000s was nothing but propaganda, according to Saai chairperson Dr Theo de Jager.

Namibia’s Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein, recently announced that the government had authorised the construction of a second desalination plant.

Zimbabwe's finance minister, Mthuli Ncube, announced a downward revision of the country's economic growth forecast for 2024 due to Southern Africa’s worst drought in decades, which has severely impacted crop yields.

The BXB, crossbred from Braunvieh and Brahman cattle, will add value to virtually any beef production concern in Southern Africa, according to Auroa Braunvieh owners Lourens and Henriette Le Grange, who pioneered the BXB in Namibia. They attribute this to the combination of both breeds’ outstanding traits.

Namibia has been battling severe drought conditions since 2012, with the past few years proving especially dire. Although there have been occasional years of good rainfall, most have seen extreme dryness and minimal precipitation.

Namibia is experiencing a serious drought, with the lowest run-off recorded in the past 100 years. This is an indication that groundwater resources would become less reliable in future.

Botswana is seeking to import grains from international suppliers to supplement its supplies after this year’s devastating drought. According to a Bloomberg report, the country is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years.