South Africa

Grain SA has urged farmers to continue scouting for crop pests such as caterpillars on their lands. The commodity organisation said in a statement released on Thursday that delayed plantings of maize across much of the western and central maize belt in South Africa had been a major concern for growers this season.

Producer-owned apple and pear packing and storage business in the Elgin district, Two-a-Day Group, recently donated more than R500 000 to the Agri Western Cape drought relief fund.

Diversified agriculture and forestry company TWK Investment Ltd has announced a 4,3% increase in its revenue from R3,7 billion to R3,9 billion for the six months ended 28 February 2019.

Despite having lost its foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)-free status in January 2019, South African authorities have negotiated the resumption of trade in livestock products between the country and a number of export destinations.

There has been mixed reaction to the newly implemented soya levy from industry role players, due to concerns among farmers about profitability as a result of the ongoing drought.

The eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal has refuted claims by the DA that the 12 poultry houses purchased by the municipality in 2017 for R14,4 million have fallen into disrepair.

Chubaka Xulu, a representative of the law firm B Xulu and Partners Incorporated in Cape Town, has strongly denied that there was anything untoward about the legal services the firm rendered to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).

The soya industry is expected to receive a boost of R1 billion per year from the recently imposed Breeding and Technology Levy (BTL).

The overall improvement in business sentiment during the first quarter of 2019 is a welcome development, but confidence levels in the agricultural sector are still at levels below the neutral 50-point mark.

The highly competitive nature of the global beef export market was among the key trends highlighted during the SA Feedlot Association’s Cattleman’s Conference in Bloemfontein on Thursday.

As a proud member of the South African media and agricultural landscape for the past 108 years, Farmer’s Weekly is celebrating a significant milestone today.

The precipitation outlook for the Swartland region does not look favourable this winter, according to Overberg Agri weather forecaster, Giel Hugo.

South Africa’s land reform process in its current form needs to “sink like the Titanic”, according to Nick Serfontein, member of the advisory panel created to support the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Land Reform.

Aspiring agro-processing entrepreneurs have to do the necessary research before applying for financing when starting a business, to ensure that they fully understand all the requirements set by financial institutions and other funding organisations.

South Africa’s agricultural machinery sales have continued their negative trend in comparison with the first two months of last year.

The number of participants in Grain SA’s Farmer Development Programme in the Eastern Cape is growing every year, with 3 581 smallholder grain producers in the province currently participating in the programme.

The Glen College of Agriculture near Bloemfontein has welcomed the first group of students to register for a 12-month diploma access programme at its newly launched Recognition of Prior Learning Centre.

Egg contamination and antibiotic-free production in hatcheries were in the spotlight at the Ceva South Africa Poultry Summit held in Rustenburg on Wednesday and Thursday.

A fruit farm and wedding venue, Marlenique Estate, near Franschhoek, has introduced the first commercially operated floating solar system on the African continent.

Grain SA (GSA) recently announced that it will dedicate R5 million to serve as collateral to help black potential commercial farmers unlock financing.