News

The fire season is in full swing for the majority of South Africa, with dry conditions prevalent throughout the country.

The plundering of maize lands in the Free State has become a massive problem for farmers in the region, leading to the loss of millions of rand.

The agriculture sector in Africa could lose up to 14 million jobs by 2030 due to heat stress. This was according to a new report by the International Labour Organisation titled, ‘Working on a warmer planet: The impact of heat stress on labour productivity and decent work’.

Now that the monsoon season has finally started in India, the Indian Metrological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for torrential rain in parts of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.

Dr Rutendo Hwindingwi, also known as the ‘African Realist’, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the opportunities and pitfalls of doing business in Africa.

Two of South Africa’s largest ostrich processing and marketing companies, Klein Karoo International and Mosstrich, are contesting the Competition Commission’s (CompCom) decision taken earlier this year to prohibit their proposed merger.

There is cautious optimism that a government-subsidised crop insurance scheme will materialise in the near future, according to Jannie de Villiers, CEO of Grain SA.

Several thousand Lesotho wool and mohair farmers gathered in the capital Maseru on Friday to march to the country’s parliament to hand over a memorandum.

Bee populations around the world are in decline, among them many species of wild bumblebees.

A protest by farmworkers outside Oak Valley Estate near Grabouw is now in its seventh week. The strike action is being led by the Commercial, Stevedoring, Agricultural and Allied Workers Union that is demanding better wages and living conditions for farmworkers.

The National Pork Producers’ Council in the US has petitioned the US Food and Drug Association (FDA) to relax regulations with regard to gene-editing technology in livestock.

The Mohair Trust will consider making its stabilisation fund available to assist South Africa’s mohair farmers, who are currently reeling from the effects of adverse weather conditions, according to Davey Herold, chairperson of the trust.

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) was currently investigating several cases of theft of agricultural livestock at its St Albans and Middledrift correctional centres in the Eastern Cape.

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DARD) recently expanded its seed bank project to the North West. This was the third seed bank project in the country, with other sites located in Gumbu, Limpopo and Sterkspruit, Eastern Cape.

In a bid to defuse transatlantic trade tensions, the EU last week agreed to allow US farmers a larger share of the European beef market.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the year in Parliament on Thursday has been met with some scepticism, with many analysts saying the address was big on dreams, but lacked the necessary detail on how he plans to fix the challenges facing South Africa.

In a bid to protect domestic winemaking, the Russian government has placed a ban on public bodies purchasing imported wine.

The exchange rate of the rand against major currencies along with higher commodity prices had played a significant role in the 0,3% month-on-month (m/m) increase in the consumer price index.

While nationwide sales of new tractors and combine harvesters have taken a knock this year, demand for used agricultural machinery is strong.

With South Africa now officially in the grip of winter, the country’s livestock farmers need to keep a constant close eye on short-term weather forecasts.