South Africa

South Africa’s consumers, as well as the rooibos value chain, are now far more knowledgeable about the health benefits of this uniquely South African plant and the variety of products that can be manufactured from it than five years ago.

The much-anticipated Agriculture Development Agency (AGDA) will be officially launched on 18 February at the Africa Agri Tech Conference and Expo (AAT) to be held in Pretoria.

Farmers have been urged to remain alert to the presence of fall armyworm (FAW) during the 2019/2020 crop production season, and to regularly scout their crops for larvae and eggs in their lands.

Widespread outbreaks of gerbil infestations have been reported in the summer grain production regions, with damage being reported in the Free State, North West and KwaZulu- Natal. This was according to Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, CropLife SA’s operations and stewardship manager.

A court application filed by two auction companies, a co-operative, a commercial farmer and a group of 50 emerging farmers to lift the national ban on auctions will be heard in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on 14 January.

The popularity and profitability of avocados and macadamias have resulted in a double-edged sword, with theft of the produce becoming increasingly rampant.

Joint monitoring and control efforts by both public and private sector role players have resulted in the successful eradication of the highly invasive and destructive oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) from two Northern Cape district municipalities.

Veld damaged by drought needs to be assiduously managed after the arrival of rain in order to conserve grazing potential and to avoid serious damage to plant species.

Wrapping up 2019 and getting ready for 2020, industry leaders in the agriculture sector share some of their wishes for the new year with Farmer’s Weekly.

The bulk of animal production in South Africa takes place on natural veld and mainly in the savanna, grassland and Karoo biomes.

Despite facing challenges in its agricultural production and socio-economic environment, South Africa’s food security ranked first out of 28 sub-Saharan African countries, and 48 out of 113 countries surveyed worldwide.

South Africa’s 2020 wine grape harvest is expected to be slightly larger than in 2019, but still smaller than the average wine grape crop over the past five years, according to Vinpro’s first crop estimate for the season.

FairPlay South Africa (FairPlay) has called on government to urgently impose a total ban on imports of chicken products from Brazil.

Using figures from a forensic investigation into and financial review of its results, Tongaat Hulett Limited’s (THL) board of directors has now been able to correct the company’s agricultural production, processing, and land conversion divisions’ financial results for the 2018/2019 year ended 31 March 2019.

Farmers are cautioned to be more alert with the festive season approaching and be aware of increased criminal activity, according to Chris van Zyl, assistant general manager of TAU SA.

The ban on livestock auctions due to the recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in Limpopo is resulting in mounting costs, with BKB confirming it had suffered a R350 million drop in turnover during November and December.

The South African Cabinet has accepted 60 of the 73 recommendations made in the report by the Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture.

Rain is urgently needed to enable farmers to plant summer crops in the eastern and western Free State, according to Francois Wilken, president of Free State Agriculture.

The Dutch Reformed Church in the Northern Cape, in conjunction with the Caritas Therapy Centre in Kimberley, has launched a 24-hour telephone support service aimed at helping victims of the relentless drought in the province.

The newly appointed special master responsible for facilitating the smooth handling of labour tenancy claims will have the authority of the Land Claims Court and other legal entities behind him.