South Africa

South Africa’s municipalities needed to be judged on their ability to deliver basic services rather than political promises, as failing towns increasingly threatened the communities and businesses that depended on them.

Predation Management Western Cape is raising awareness at Nampo Cape about severe livestock losses, demonstrating why regional predator control, professional hunting, and collaboration are essential to protect sheep.

South Africa’s wheat industry was heading towards a tragedy unless long-standing structural problems were urgently addressed, with producers warning that it should not have taken a crisis to force reform.

At Nampo Cape, red meat industry leaders warned that voluntary foot-and-mouth disease vaccination and uneven biosecurity remain major operational risks, urging stronger industry co-operation, funding strategies, and mandatory controls.

At the Milk Producers’ Organisation Western Cape’s annual general meeting, experts urged South Africa’s dairy sector to make foot-and-mouth disease management a routine practice, ensuring biosecurity and herd immunity to safely meet rising milk demand.

A panel at Nampo Cape urged farmers to replace El Niño panic with practical preparation, highlighting financial planning, conservation agriculture, and strategic water management as key tools for resilience.

The second day of Nampo Cape 2026 saw agriculture leaders tackle critical water rights, climate resilience, and incoming El Niño risks.

A 54% rise in the South African Wool Market Indicator over the 2025/26 season, tightening global wool supplies and strong Chinese interest in wool are providing renewed optimism for South African wool producers.

Farmers can no longer rely on historical patterns to guide decisions in an increasingly unpredictable agricultural environment, making access to timely market, weather and geopolitical information more important than ever.

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.