South Africa

The health promotion levy (HPL) on the sugar content of sweetened beverages will be announced by Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba in his budget speech for the 2018/2019 financial year.

Stakeholders in an urban agricultural development in KwaZulu-Natal’s Pinetown area are hoping to reduce local crime by converting an overgrown green belt into productive farmland.

As preparations begin for the much-anticipated State of the Nation Address (SONA) on February 8, 2018, we asked leaders in agri for their predictions.

Good rainfall less than two weeks ago in the catchment area of the Kouga Dam near Patensie in the Eastern Cape, has resulted in an increase in the dam’s water level, but was not nearly enough to turn the dam’s dire water supply challenges around.

In its latest estimate for 2017/2018, the Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) has reduced the area planted to commercial maize in South Africa.

Four South African chemicals companies have received approval from the country’s Competition Tribunal (CompTrib) to continue with their arrangement to trade ammonia between each other.

The current El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is in a weak La Niña phase, which is expected to continue until early autumn, according to Weather SA’s long-term weather forecaster, Cobus Olivier.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa used the 2018 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, to assure foreign governments and international private sector investors that South Africa was open for business.

The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) has confirmed that it has started advertising for a new director-general (DG).

The Free Market Foundation (FMF) is assisting township dwellers in South Africa to have the title deeds for the properties on which they live, transferred to them.

Cape Town residents have fewer than 80 days until taps are expected to run dry. Due to a further drop in dam levels, Day Zero for the city has been moved forward to 12 April 2018.

There was no indication that Brexit would have any impact on the South African dairy industry. This was the reaction from George Kuyler, SA’s Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO) chairperson, following an article in the UK’s Farmers Weekly magazine.

A total of R111 million was spent on yearling racehorse prospects at the Cape Premier Yearling Sales at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 21 and 22 January.

The annual inflation increase for both farm and forestry worker wages have brought the possible mandatory May 2018 minimum wage into question again.

The South African grain production industry is faced with uncertainty around production, the number of hectares planted and the full effects of the drought, said Grain SA economist Michelle Mokone.

The good news is that rainfall conditions for most of the summer rainfall region are likely to improve from mid- to late summer. The bad news is that drought conditions are expected to continue in the winter rainfall region. This is according to Johan van den Berg, manager of Specialised Crop Insurance at Santam Agriculture.

According to Wandile Sihlobo, agricultural economist and head of agribusiness research at Agbiz, current forecasts indicated that the petrol and diesel prices could decrease by 34c/ℓ and 19c/ℓ respectively in February.

The producer price for milk reached R5,10/ℓ to R5,20/ℓ in December, its highest level since 2014, according to the Milk Producer’s Organisation (MPO).

Despite a stronger rand:dollar exchange rate, the South African wool market started the season on a positive note, as a result of strong demand for wool globally, with the Merino Indicator closing at R188,08 (clean).

For the first time since the competition was initiated in 1834, a category for cream has been included in the South African Dairy Championships.