News

Botswana has once again banned vegetable imports from South Africa and other neighbouring countries in an effort to bolster support for local producers, despite having only recently lifted similar restrictions.

Agribusiness group Senwes reported a solid recovery in its interim results for the six months to end-October 2025, with profit after tax up by 34,5% to R325 million after a stronger production season and improved performance in several business units.

The Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has confirmed three separate outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease across the province, prompting immediate quarantine measures, movement restrictions, and a coordinated emergency response.

Transport and logistics, and their growing impact on South Africa’s agricultural value chain, featured prominently in two presentations at the Agbiz Media Day held on 5 December in Pretoria.

South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease crisis has entered a critical phase. What began as a severe disease outbreak has become a deeper governance and leadership conflict; one that threatens national food security, agricultural exports, and the future stability of the industry.

Important regulatory changes in the agriculture sector are in the pipeline or at various stages of implementation, covering local government reforms, carbon emissions targets, changes to the Firearm Control Amendment Bill, and measures on water, land, and agricultural remedies.

South Africa’s top beef cattle producers and emerging farmers were celebrated recently at the 2025 ARC National Beef Performers Awards, a prestigious ceremony recognising excellence in herd genetics, management, and performance across the country.

South Africa’s agribusiness sector hit a high note in the fourth quarter of 2025, with the Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI) rising by five points to 67 after two quarters of decline, signalling firmer sentiment across subsectors.

Road construction projects in the Free State are grinding to a halt as political ideologies dominate procurement processes.

PwC’s latest consumer survey and economic outlook shows South Africans are heading into 2026 with concerns about living costs, economic instability, and healthcare access. These pressures threaten food affordability, farmworker well-being, and the resilience of the agriculture value chain.

Greater emphasis on improving Angora fibre quality, strengthening flock management, and sharing up-to-date goat health information shaped the Murraysburg Farmers’ Day, held on 2 December on Kruidfontein Farm in the Western Cape.

South African agriculture posted a surprisingly strong third-quarter performance in 2025, rebounding from two years of contraction. Economists note that, although growth came off a low base, the recovery still represents a meaningful shift for the sector.

Worldwide, the pressures on soil and water are becoming harder to ignore. As weather extremes intensify and productive land grows ever strained, farmers face a truth that science has long warned of: soil and water cannot be managed in isolation.

The African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA) recently brought together government leaders, agricultural experts, financial institutions, and farmer representatives for its Leadership and Strategic Partnership Conference.

The revived Chris Hani Agricultural Show in the Eastern Cape has renewed efforts to integrate smallholder farmers into formal value chains, with the provincial government and development agencies identifying new market opportunities, infrastructure needs, and potential pathways for commercialisation.

Drones are no longer niche gadgets, they’re fast becoming essential tools on South African farms. At the 2025 Drone & Unmanned Aviation Conference, experts revealed how aerial spraying, crop analytics and predictive AI are reshaping agricultural decision-making.

Grain SA has warned that South Africa’s wheat industry could collapse unless government and the broader value chain act urgently.

Sappo Academy, the training organisation that promotes animal, environmental, and public health in the pig industry through knowledge transfer, hosted a mini development symposium in Pretoria on 26 November.

Geopolitical events have wreaked havoc on the global shipping industry over the last five years, leading to skyrocketing prices and delays that negatively affected the fresh produce industry in particular.

Red Meat Industry Services approved and funded nine new research projects in 2025. Announced on 26 October in Pretoria, they form part of the organisation’s Field to Future framework, which ensures research priorities address real challenges across the industry.