News

Vinpro’s chairperson, Anton Smuts, has called on wine producers and winery directors to stop selling bulk wine at “pathetically low” prices.

The 3,9% increase in total tractor sales from 6 462 units in 2017 to 6 714 units in 2018, has been met with surprise in some quarters, as many parts of South Africa’s 2018/2019 summer grain and oilseed production areas experienced unusually dry conditions in spring and summer last year.

Numerous health benefits have been ascribed to rooibos tea, making it not only a firm favourite among South African tea drinkers, but also across the world.

The recent confirmation of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak among cattle in the Vhembe District in Limpopo has sparked strong reaction from the livestock sector, along with unfounded panic among consumers.

Free State Agriculture (FSA) expressed its shock about a shooting incident in the province in which three lives were lost.

Many factors influence the current forecasts for the South Africa maize crop and maize prices, and the current drought conditions, in especially North West and some parts of the Free State, should not be compared to the conditions and prices experienced in 2015/2016, according to Wilbie Venter, a grain trader at Unigrain based in Randfontein.

The third Goat Agribusiness Conference was recently held at the Durban Botanic Gardens and was well-attended by prospective and existing goat farmers.

According to The Economist's Pocket World in Figures, South Africa has the highest rate of unemployment among young people in the world.

Stand a chance to be one of 100 young agricultural enthusiasts from around the world to attend the 2019 Youth Ag Summit to be held in Brasília, Brazil from 4 to 6 November this year.

Government is misusing the land question to garner votes for the upcoming election, which is detrimental for South Africa as a whole and the economy in particular, according to FF+ leader, Dr Pieter Groenewald.

Role players in the red meat industry have expressed deep concern that the temporary suspension of South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease-free (FMD) status could result in lost income amounting to billions of rand, while also disrupting domestic trade.

The summer rainfall region can expect continued above-average rainfall during late summer, while below-average rainfall is expected during early autumn.

TWK Milling has agreed to pay an administrative penalty of over R1,8 million after a Competition Tribunal found that TWK Milling had colluded with others to fix prices of milled wheat products, according to a statement by the Competition Commission.

Rainfall and the availability of water were expected to have the biggest impact on vegetable production in the coming year.

The Bonnievale Wines group and Wandsbeck Wines have announced that the two entities will be merging.

The agriculture sector survived a year of rising uncertainty in 2018, but with the national election and the threat of drought looming, 2019 will be every bit as challenging. According to leaders in the sector, farmers will have to be resilient and partner with the right role players to face the trials that await.

As rooibos tea increases in popularity among consumers, it is fast becoming one of the most attractive agricultural commodities to invest in.

It is expected that the loss of the Lesotho wool and mohair clip, due to new legislation in that country, would have a negative impact on the bottom line of wool traders in South Africa.

Government’s resolve to allow for the amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for expropriation of land without compensation is a nail in the coffin of the agriculture industry, according to Agri SA president Dan Kriek.

International fast food company, McDonald’s, recently announced plans to work more closely with its beef suppliers worldwide in an effort to decrease the use of antibiotics in livestock production by the end of 2020.