South Africa

Indications are that higher than normal temperatures can be expected for most parts of South Africa from May to July this year, according to Cobus Olivier, long-term weather forecaster at Weather South Africa.

Grain SA’s annual Nampo Harvest Day agricultural show, which will be held from 14 to 17 May at Nampo Park near Bothaville, takes place just a week after the South African general election.

In the run-up to this month’s general election, Farmer’s Weekly journalists around the country posed the same questions to the seven political parties that performed the best in the 2014 general election. In addition, three of the most interesting new parties that will be contesting the election on 8 May were also included. The questions were: “As stated in your party’s election manifesto, what is your commitment, firstly, to agricultural development, and secondly, to land reform?”

Firearm owners are being left stranded by the firearm licensing “fiasco” currently playing out in the country.

Consumers and motorists are bracing themselves for another hefty increase in the fuel price, making it the fourth consecutive price hike this year.

South Africans will now have to pin their hopes on two new blade shearers, Fickson Maqhosha and Bonile Rebela, to defend the country’s title at the Golden Shears World Championship in Le Dorat, France later this year.

Sheep shearers from across South Africa are gathering in Bloemfontein this weekend to try and secure their place in the national team heading to the Golden Shears World Championship in Le Dorat, France, in July.

The Minister of Agriculture Senzeni Zokwana recently announced that the new total allowable catch for South African abalone (Haliotis midae) was set at 96t for the 2018/2019 fishing season, which was the same as the previous season.

Agri SA and Fidelity ADT, a subsidiary of the Fidelity Services Group, recently signed an agreement in Centurion aimed at curbing the high number of farm attacks and related agricultural crime in South African rural communities.

The African Association for Vertical Farming was launched during a recent conference hosted by Izindaba Zokudla (Conversations about Food) at the University of Johannesburg's (UJ) Soweto Campus.

The South African National Consumer Union (SANCU) and the Emerging Black Importers and Exporters South Africa (EBieSA) are contesting the import tariff on chicken proposed by the South African Poultry Association (SAPA).

JSE-listed Zeder Investments, which focuses on the agriculture, food and beverage sectors, managed to deliver comparable recurring earnings and maintain dividends, despite a challenging macro-environment in which the company and its portfolio companies operated during the financial year ended 28 February 2019.

The rain that recently occurred over the western part of the summer grain production region of South Africa will be of great value to the crops still on the land, according to Grain SA (GSA).

Pressure from pro-Palestinian groups has resulted in South African company, Brimstone Investment Corporation, pulling out of a consortium that intends to acquire Clover Industries for a reported R4,8 billion. Brimstone was originally a 15% shareholding partner in Milco SA, a company established for the purpose of acquiring Clover.

Almost 83kg of rhino horn from South Africa valued at around R29 million were recently intercepted by Hong Kong customs officials at the Hong Kong International Airport.

The SA Pork Producer’s Organisation (SAPPO) has commended the swift reaction by state veterinary officials in dealing with a case of African Swine Fever (ASF) on a game farm near the controlled zone in North West.¬¬¬

Nationwide sales of tractors and combine harvesters have remained under pressure for the first quarter of 2019.

The financial sector has been asked to endeavour to develop a more "compassionate" approach for the financing of new farmers.

Grain SA received 425 new applications for exhibition space for the 2019 Nampo Harvest Day, which was taking place from 14 to 17 May.

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) called on Western Cape farmers to conduct regular checks of their lands after “high numbers” of fall armyworm (FAW) moths were detected in the province.