News

It is expected that soya bean output in China will increase 7,9% to 17,27 million tons for the 2019/2020 production year, according to the country’s agriculture ministry.

Five suspects were expected to appear in the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court for a second time on Friday after being charged with stock theft involving 334 head of cattle estimated at a value of R3,1 million. The suspects were seeking bail.

Nearly 50 000 smallholder farmers in rural India have benefitted from a technology-led educational programme to boost their productivity and income since it was launched in 2018.

Two more outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) were recently confirmed by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF).

Severe food shortages are currently being experienced in North Korea, following a year of unexpected dry spells, heatwaves and flooding, which have resulted in the worst grain harvest in more than a decade.

Uncertainty surrounding the prospects for the summer harvests and winter plantings of commodity crops, the outcome of the general election, and the exchange rate of the rand, all placed a damper on agricultural machinery sales for April.

Gugile Nkwinti, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, reportedly unduly used his influence to secure a R97,6 million farm in Limpopo for a friend and his business partner during his tenure as Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR).

Farmer’s Weekly will be at Nampo again this year with exclusive offers and merchandise only available at the show.

Indications are that higher than normal temperatures can be expected for most parts of South Africa from May to July this year, according to Cobus Olivier, long-term weather forecaster at Weather South Africa.

The European Commission’s latest short-term outlook for agricultural markets indicated that maize imports to the EU would increase 38,6% from 14,5 million tons in 2017/2018 to 20,1 million tons for the current season, with the majority of this maize coming from Ukraine.

India’s cotton imports are expected to increase by 80% this year. This followed the devastating drought that had hit many states in that country’s cotton production areas, which resulted in a supply shortage of quality material for textile mills.

Grain SA’s annual Nampo Harvest Day agricultural show, which will be held from 14 to 17 May at Nampo Park near Bothaville, takes place just a week after the South African general election.

In the run-up to this month’s general election, Farmer’s Weekly journalists around the country posed the same questions to the seven political parties that performed the best in the 2014 general election. In addition, three of the most interesting new parties that will be contesting the election on 8 May were also included. The questions were: “As stated in your party’s election manifesto, what is your commitment, firstly, to agricultural development, and secondly, to land reform?”

Firearm owners are being left stranded by the firearm licensing “fiasco” currently playing out in the country.

German farmers have expressed concern that the high temperatures experienced so far this month could result in drought conditions similar to that of last year.

Consumers and motorists are bracing themselves for another hefty increase in the fuel price, making it the fourth consecutive price hike this year.

It is expected that record maize volumes will be realised in Brazil’s second crop-growing season, or the so-called safrinha, thereby increasing maize production for the 2018/2019 marketing year by 18% to 95 million tons.

South Africans will now have to pin their hopes on two new blade shearers, Fickson Maqhosha and Bonile Rebela, to defend the country’s title at the Golden Shears World Championship in Le Dorat, France later this year.

A new needle-free injection system, which uses pneumatic technology and thereby reduces animal handling and stress during the administering of vaccinations to sheep and goats, has been tested in the US.

Sheep shearers from across South Africa are gathering in Bloemfontein this weekend to try and secure their place in the national team heading to the Golden Shears World Championship in Le Dorat, France, in July.