South Africa

The well-known food and beverages group recently issued a statement to clarify the rationale behind its restructuring strategy first announced in late 2016.

Recent data from the South African Grain Information Services showed that the wheat import tariff has been revised to R1 190/t, 25% lower than the current level of R1 591/t.

On 9 February, President Jacob Zuma delivered the annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Cape Town. While some agricultural stakeholders were impressed with Zuma’s commitment to the sector, others were equally unimpressed.

The minimum wage of R20 per hour announced by vice-president Cyril Ramaphosa in parliament recently is not expected to have a marked effect on agriculture.

Despite a positive market sentiment, SA farmers are wary about buying new tractors.

The annual ban on the direct movement of horses into the Western Cape’s African horse sickness (AHS) controlled zone came into effect on 1 February 2017, according to a Western Cape government statement.

President Jacob Zuma will be presenting his State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2017 at 7pm on Thursday, 9 February. South African agriculture has faced a number of challenges in recent years, most notably the severe drought of which the after-effects are still being felt across much of the country.

The South African Apple and Pear Producers’ Organisation (SAAPPA) anticipates a normal pome fruit season despite drought conditions affecting certain production areas, according to a SAAPPA press release.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has announced that it will be approving products to be used against fall armyworm from this week.

The quality of poultry being exported from the EU to South Africa is the same quality as the poultry produced and sold in Europe, Bloomberg reported Marcus Cornaro, EU ambassador to SA, as saying.

A mobile application that acts as an information platform for South African smallholder farmers, has been launched by Vodacom, in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and Manstrat Agricultural Intelligence Solutions.

The 2017 Cape Premier Yearling Sale, recently held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, had a record turn over of R155 225 000.

Recent reports of suspected Fall Armyworm (FAW) outbreaks in the Limpopo and North West areas has been confirmed by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) on Friday.

Industry leaders agree that the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Senzeni Zokwana, demonstrates a healthy interest in agricultural matters, but is not particularly proficient in implementing policies for the sector.

Extensive damage by an as yet unidentified pest caterpillar, suspected to be fall armyworm (FAW), has been reported on sweet corn and white maize planted for seed production in South Africa, while reports of similar damage has also been received from Namibia.

Fruit South Africa (Fruit SA) has partnered with The Great Fruit Adventure to promote awareness of the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, particularly amongst children.

National farmers’ union, Agri SA, has said that it supports any discussions aimed at reviewing the growing threat posed by armyworm invasions in Southern Africa.

The Stilbaai and Riversdale farming communities are faced with a grazing crisis following a veld fire that affected almost 40 farms in the region.

Research on conservation planting and farming methods by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture will in future be considerably easier, thanks to the donation of a disc planter.

Slightly more rain than normal can be expected in South Africa’s summer rainfall area for the remainder of the 2016/17 summer season.