South Africa

Bankers are hesitant about financing agricultural machinery purchases and farmers are reluctant to go into debt over the same purchases until they have more certainty regarding the potential of their current crops.

The first cases of tomato leaf miner (Tuta absoluta) were recently reported on farms near Paarl and Robertson in the Western Cape.

A historic judgement had been handed down in the protracted legal battle between labour tenants and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, according to the Association of Rural Advancement (AFRA).

Exchange rate fluctuations will continue to influence commodity prices in 2017 and could create volatility in the market.

The minister of agriculture, Senzeni Zokwana, has been rated as one of the worst performing government officials in the DA’s 2016 Cabinet Report Card.

Omri van Zyl, executive director of Agri SA, has been voted continental winner in the agri category of CEO Global’s Leading African Recognition Programme.

The company delivered a profit after tax of R91 million compared to the profit after tax of R103 million for the corresponding period of the previous year.

Recent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data points to a negative growth of a seasonally adjusted and annualised rate of -0,3% quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter of 2016...

A cost-effective alternative for fishmeal, high-protein feed made from fly larvae, may soon be available for local poultry and fish producers.

Let us not treat soil like dirt on World Soil Day (WSD), as well as into the future. Soil is one of the most significant parts of the ecosystem, contributing to our food, water and energy and playing an important part in reducing the impact of climate change, a release by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) said.

The second last sale of the 2016 winter mohair season consisted of a larger than usual offering of 145 719kg, with some excellent individual clips attracting keen interest from buyers.

The West Rand Agri-park represents a major development for local smallholder farmers who will now have access to a modern storage facility for their produce.

Good news for South Africa’s grain producers is that most local and international weather forecasting agencies are consistently predicting more rainfall from mid-summer this year to early autumn next year.

Next year could be a good year for agriculture, despite some serious challenges, according to speakers at the Agbiz Agribusiness outlook for 2017, held in Pretoria on Friday.

The three-month strike involving over 200 workers at the Robertson Winery ended this week after the winery and the Commercial Stevedoring Agricultural and Allied Workers’ Union (CSAAWU), which represented the workers, reached an agreement.

The combined impact of large poultry imports and the drought has placed significant pressure on the performance of Southern African poultry producer, Astral Foods Limited.

With little significant rain expected in the Western Cape over the next six months, there is concern over the region’s declining dam levels. The situation has placed already stressed water resources under increasing pressure.

Andrea Mullineux, of Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines in the Swartland, was recently named winemaker of the year by the international magazine, Wine Enthusiast.

A protest march by the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) has been scheduled for today to demonstrate against jobs losses in the South African poultry industry, as a result of large-scale imports from the EU and the US.

For every one job British American Tobacco SA offers, another 32 jobs were created across the wider economy. This is according to Soraya Zoueihid, CEO of BATSA.