South Africa

At a recent school programme hosted by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture at Nampo Cape in Bredasdorp, learners were told about the opportunities awaiting them in the sector.

The agri-hub in Mkhondo Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, has a planning and engineering history that reads like a comedy of errors. Despite swallowing R142 million in public funds, it has yet to benefit a single farmer.

Seed purity testing is crucial for sustainable agriculture and global food security, yet its importance is often underestimated. The field also faces a growing shortage of skilled analysts, according to experts at the International Seed Testing Association workshop.

Nampo Cape 2025 organisers are on high alert to protect animal health amid ongoing foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in other parts of South Africa.

At a gala event hosted by the Dry Bean Producers’ Organisation (DPO) on Thursday evening, 4 September, at Valley Lodge & Spa in Magaliesburg, the industry’s top achievers for 2025 were announced.

All eyes are on the sky for an indication of what the weather will bring for the organisers, exhibitors, and visitors to Nampo Cape, taking place from 10 to 13 September in Bredasdorp, Western Cape.

By the time South Africa’s deciduous fruit export season is at its peak, 18 new rubber-tyred gantry cranes are expected to be in service at the Port of Cape Town.

Hennie Jonker, a Hampshire Down stud breeder from Kroonstad in the Free State, took the laurels in the Parys leg of the Southern African Agri Initiative’s (Saai) Lamb Champs 2025 competition.

After a three-year break from Nampo Cape, the BKB Merino Classic is back in 2025 and is set to take place on 11 and 12 September at Bredasdorp Park.

The Mpumalanga Show took place in Mbombela over the weekend, showcasing the province’s agriculture sector and providing opportunities for small scale farmers to upskill.

South African farmers must embrace technology, push for fairer trade, and plan for the long term to stay competitive, panellists said in a Swartland Show session on Friday, 5 September .

The Bayer Boervrou van die Jaar competition, now in its second year, celebrates the women who play a vital role in South African agriculture, whether they are managing farm operations, driving innovation, or making a difference in their communities.

Farmers in the northwest of Kroonstad, Free State, are becoming increasingly frustrated over the handling of foot-and-mouth disease control measures, with claims that cattle in quarantined red zones are roaming freely despite restrictions.

Thirty-nine-year-old Creighton dairy farmer Dale Hutton was named the 2025 Toyota SA/Kwanalu Young Farmer of the Year earlier this week.

A 34-year-old member of the South African Police Service (SAPS) Stock Theft Unit in Standerton, Mpumalanga, was arrested on Friday, 29 August, on charges of stock theft worth over R450 000.

South Africa’s tentpegging riders will take on Australia in a three-day international test at Nampo Cape, taking place from 10 to 13 September in Bredasdorp, Western Cape, bringing one of the world’s oldest equestrian sports to the agricultural expo.

Hopes for a more transparent mechanism for forming grain prices than the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s (JSE) current futures contracts were dashed when the JSE cancelled the long-awaited implementation of a basis futures contract.

The sugar industry has welcomed the 13 August Government Gazette in which Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau approved a block exemption allowing growers, millers, retailers, and food and beverage manufacturers to consult on procuring over 90% of local sugar without breaching the Competition Act (No. 89 of 1998).

South Africa’s fight against foot-and-mouth disease requires a complete overhaul of systems and stronger collaboration across the livestock sector, Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen said on Monday at a media briefing.

The Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI) hovered between 38 and 58 in 2024 and then rose sharply to 70 in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025 before declining to 65 in Q2 and 63 in Q3.