News

Anti-dumping tariffs on frozen French fries imported from the Netherlands and Germany have expired, leaving the South African potato industry vulnerable to ‘dumping’.

The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) farming community has lauded the way in which South Africans have come together to support people affected by the recent rioting and looting in this province and in Gauteng.

Fuel prices are set for another increase in August, with the diesel price expected to increase 58c/l. This was according to the Automobile Association (AA).

The EU’s Green Deal could see a drastic reduction in food imports to the region, which would heavily affect South Africa’s fresh produce industry.

An ambitious plan to bolster agricultural extension services announced earlier in the year during the tabling of the National Budget seems to be going nowhere slowly.

The impact of the recent widespread unrest and rioting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng on the distribution of imported agricultural chemicals and fertiliser was extremely worrying, said Corné Louw, economist at Grain SA.

The arrest of five members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Free State on charges of stock theft, perjury and defeating the ends of justice was underpinned by the SAPS’s inertia to prevent crime and its propensity to rather follow up on crimes after they had already occurred. This was according to Francois Strydom, chairperson of Agbiz.

A new South African record was set by the Bos Blanco Beefmaster stud when it sold the bull BOS 166 103 to Chris van Heerden of Gamtouw Farming near Bronkhorstspruit for R1,1 million.

It’s too early to have a clear indication of the damage to agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) as a result of the recent riots in the province, but Sandy La Marque, CEO of the KZN Agricultural Union (Kwanalu), estimates the losses to be in the billions of rand.

Chinese farmers have greatly increased maize plantings this year at the expense of soya bean and other crops, including sorghum and edible beans.

The Durban Fresh Produce Market opened its doors on Friday morning for the first time since social unrest saw trading halted on Monday. Sales were expectedly high, with some products selling out quickly as buyers sought to replenish stocks.

The civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal, in particular, is threatening food security across the country. De Wet Boshoff, executive director of the Animal Feed Manufacturers’ Association, said the violent protests had disrupted supply chains in various ways, making it a nightmare to venture onto any road in KwaZulu-Natal.

A task team, comprising organised agriculture and the agribusiness sector, has presented an urgent document to government outlining the extensive impact of this week’s violent protests on agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal.

Farmers in the southwestern Free State are counting the cost of wildfires that occurred in the region earlier this week and raged across an area of over 82km, destroying about 60 000ha along with infrastructure and livestock.

Industry bodies and agricultural leaders have expressed grave concern about the disruption of supply chains, as violent protests continue to sweep across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

A crucial link in KwaZulu-Natal’s food security, the Durban Fresh Produce Market, has been shut down since Monday due to the violent protests in the province.

Fires being set to sugar cane lands as part of the ongoing unrest in KwaZulu-Natal is resulting in severe damage amounting to hundreds of millions of rand.

The Watercrest Mall was one of many shopping centres in Durban to come under fire as violent protests and looting continue unabated in KwaZulu-Natal.

Dairy farmers in KwaZulu-Natal have had to pour hundreds of thousands of litres of milk down the drain since protest action, looting and vandalism started across the province in the second weekend of July.

Fears are growing about food security as violent protests and looting continue across some parts of South Africa.