News

Stock theft continues to affect farmers across South Africa, and law enforcement and agricultural leaders are calling for a stronger commitment to tackle this persistent issue.

Mbombela is waiting anxiously to see if the Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market (MIFPM) will open its doors on Friday. The controversial market has been six years in the making, at a cost of R2 billion to tax payers, but has yet to open.

The latest data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that beef prices in that country are now reaching record highs.

South Africa’s 2025 summer grain production outlook has been revised upward again, with increases in estimated maize and soya bean production, while the preliminary outlook for winter grains shows a slight year-on-year decrease in area planted.

Karan Beef, one of the largest integrated beef producers in Africa, has resumed slaughtering operations under tightly controlled government regulations following a severe foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak that brought production to a halt for nearly two months.

Pula Nala, a 100% African women-owned and youth-majority-led agricultural enterprise, received top honours at the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture’s (DoA) Women Entrepreneur Awards held in the Alfred Nzo District Municipality in late July.

A new global analysis by the US's National Drought Mitigation Center and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), published in July 2025, reveals that Botswana is among the countries most vulnerable to extreme drought in the coming years.

A nationwide ban on new captive lion breeding facilities has triggered a fierce debate between government, conservation groups, and those who rely on the lion value chain.

Economic pressures, tighter environmental regulations, and changing consumer behaviour will shape the future of fresh produce exports, according to Dr Max Teplitski, chief science officer of the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), who spoke at the association’s conference in Pretoria.

Elaine van Eeden, a wheat breeder and researcher at Syngenta, was announced as the 2025 winner of the Future Agri Perspectives Women’s Voice Competition at a gala event in Johannesburg, Gauteng this week.

Conflicting messaging surrounding the nutritional value of potatoes has hindered stable and consistent consumer uptake. Educating consumers on the merit of potatoes is therefore key to growing demand and keeping prices stable for producers.

The afternoon session at the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) Southern Africa Conference cast the spotlight on what many consider the most urgent issue in the fresh produce industry: the crumbling state of logistics and its impact on exports.

South Africa has taken its first major step towards regaining its foothold in the global livestock genetics market with the successful export of 326 in vivo cattle embryos to Paraguay, South America.

Container throughput at South Africa’s ports have reached levels last seen in the 2017/18 financial year, according to the South African Association of Freight Forwarders and Business Unity South Africa’s latest cargo report.

The Southern African Fresh Produce Conference 2025 brought together around 200 industry stakeholders this week for a high-level discussion on the future of fresh produce in a rapidly evolving global market.

The R4 million sale of Lot 8 – LAR21-045, a prized Bonsmara bull – was the highlight of the highly anticipated Up George Bonsmaras 27th Production Sale, held in KwaZulu-Natal in early July.

The growing demand for sustainable and gluten-free food products could significantly reduce the volume of wasted potatoes in South Africa, boosting farmers’ profitability.

The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has approved an additional R150 million in emergency funding for Daybreak Foods, bringing its total support for the poultry producer this year to R400 million. The funding is intended to keep it afloat during business rescue.

The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) is making major strides in the development and local production of a vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), with plans under way for a state-of-the-art biocontainment facility and a mid-scale production system.

The South African livestock industry is facing a growing crisis as new outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) continue to spread across several provinces.