News

Speaking at Nampo Cape, industry leaders urged livestock producers to strengthen defences against stock theft and predation.

Farmers have gathered at Nampo Cape 2026 in Bredasdorp to explore cutting-edge technologies, new crop genetics, and joint industry strategies targeting biosecurity, traceability, and foot-and-mouth disease.

Wool and red meat producers will increasingly need to understand what customers want and be able to prove where and how their products were produced if they want to protect and expand their markets.

During a recent panel discussion on the Land Bank’s role in financing agriculture held at Nampo Cape 2026, panellists warned that inadequate funding and support for agriculture were undermining efforts to develop new farmers and grow the sector.

With local wheat production under increasing pressure and quality standards having recently been expanded to include the cultivation of white wheat, industry insiders expect the first white wheat cultivars to become commercially available by the end of the decade.

Reliable information, accountable leadership, and closer public–private cooperation will be essential as South African farmers navigate animal disease, volatile markets, uncertain weather, and geopolitical disruption, speakers said during a Farmer’s Weekly panel discussion at Die Krip Agricultural Festival.

Policy certainty, farm profitability, rural safety, water security, and the need for stronger organised agriculture dominated discussions at the TLU SA Congress 2026, held on 2 September at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria.

The developing El Niño, believed to be the most severe on record, is expected to exacerbate the fire risk in the Overberg.

South Africa and Egypt have concluded negotiations on the veterinary health certificate required for exporting red meat from South Africa to Egypt, and shipments can begin once the agreement has been formally signed.

Hortgro's 2025 Key Deciduous Fruit Statistics show record apple and pear export volumes, while a largely stable planted area masks significant shifts in crop mix and orchard replacement. Rising input costs and logistics remain key constraints for producers.

The South African sugar industry has welcomed the increase in the reference price for imported sugar, but growers and millers warn that the intervention may not be enough to stop the surge in cheap imports that has eroded domestic sales.

Speakers at the Swartland Show's agricultural seminar in Moorreesburg on 4 September 2026 stressed that South Africa's food security rests on a competitive, profitable value chain. Tiger Brands' Tjaart Kruger, economist Johan Willemse and Heidrick & Struggles' Mark Watt focused on profitability, planning through cycles and adapting to uncertainty.

Local trials, data-intensive farming and a deeper understanding of soil conditions can help producers make more informed management decisions that can improve profitability.

The Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture is stepping up efforts to tackle food insecurity by encouraging communities to produce their own food through the province’s Ilima Lokulima (“Let's cultivate together”) programme.

Willie Aucamp, minister of the Department of Agriculture, has suspended Dr Jacob Modumo, acting CEO of Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), amidst an investigation into vaccine prices.

An unusually humid early winter has rendered conventional preventative measures against Sclerotinia stem rot ineffective, with the disease infecting canola plants before they began flowering.

Friday, 4 September, marks World Macadamia Day, but the industry has little to celebrate this year. Growing global volumes have yet to be matched by demand, leading to price decreases and uncertainty over when nuts will be sold.

A surprise tariff concession by China and favourable market conditions have opened the door for South Africa to export around 200 000t of soya beans to the world’s biggest importer later this year, 36% more than the country shipped there three years ago.

With honeybee pollination services under growing pressure and South African growers increasingly concerned about hive availability, commercially reared hoverflies are being tested as an additional pollination tool for high-value fruit and seed crops.

The Women’s Desk of the North West African Farmers Association of South Africa (NWAFASA) rounded off Women’s Month with an event focused on female farmers in Taung, North West, on 27 August 2026.