South Africa

Speakers at the Swartland Show's agricultural seminar in Moorreesburg on 4 September 2026 stressed that South Africa's food security rests on a competitive, profitable value chain. Tiger Brands' Tjaart Kruger, economist Johan Willemse and Heidrick & Struggles' Mark Watt focused on profitability, planning through cycles and adapting to uncertainty.

Local trials, data-intensive farming and a deeper understanding of soil conditions can help producers make more informed management decisions that can improve profitability.

The Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture is stepping up efforts to tackle food insecurity by encouraging communities to produce their own food through the province’s Ilima Lokulima (“Let's cultivate together”) programme.

Willie Aucamp, minister of the Department of Agriculture, has suspended Dr Jacob Modumo, acting CEO of Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), amidst an investigation into vaccine prices.

An unusually humid early winter has rendered conventional preventative measures against Sclerotinia stem rot ineffective, with the disease infecting canola plants before they began flowering.

Friday, 4 September, marks World Macadamia Day, but the industry has little to celebrate this year. Growing global volumes have yet to be matched by demand, leading to price decreases and uncertainty over when nuts will be sold.

A surprise tariff concession by China and favourable market conditions have opened the door for South Africa to export around 200 000t of soya beans to the world’s biggest importer later this year, 36% more than the country shipped there three years ago.

With honeybee pollination services under growing pressure and South African growers increasingly concerned about hive availability, commercially reared hoverflies are being tested as an additional pollination tool for high-value fruit and seed crops.

The Women’s Desk of the North West African Farmers Association of South Africa (NWAFASA) rounded off Women’s Month with an event focused on female farmers in Taung, North West, on 27 August 2026.

Tongaat Hulett may have escaped liquidation, but the sugar processor remains under financial pressure, with a R517 million statutory levy claim, a fresh Constitutional Court setback, and delays in cane farmer payments.

Pressure on cash-strapped consumers and mounting challenges in agricultural markets converged in RCL Foods’ (RCL) latest results, contributing to a sharp decline in earnings for the year ended June 2026.

New export opportunities are emerging for South African fruit, but producers must be ‘compliance fit’ to gain market access, delegates heard at the Sustainability Initiative of South Africa Conference in Paarl, Western Cape, on 19 August.

Severe rainfall shortages threatening the Swartland wheat crop have highlighted the need for government support to make crop insurance affordable for dryland producers.

Black-owned Siyazama Klipland Boerdery in the Hex River Valley, Western Cape, has more than doubled its grape production over the past five years and is now looking to its next growth phase. Farm manager and shareholder Alec Abrahams says securing a title deed remains a major hurdle.

Enhanced biosecurity measures will be implemented for the 92nd Swartland Show’s cattle section this year as organisers aim to safeguard animal health and support the long-term sustainability of livestock exhibitions.

South Africa’s annual food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation rate slowed to 0,9% in July 2026, from 1,6% in June. This means food and beverage prices were, on average, 0,9% higher than in July 2025.

The local agricultural value chain has a unique opportunity to shape the future of its freight landscape, including moving some commodities to rail, through a process running until 30 September.

Hemelhuijs has earned the top spot for its berry jam, standing out among a field of exceptional competitors. This handcrafted organic berry jam took top spot among 700 entries at the South African Preserve Championships, presented by Agri-Expo in Durbanville, Western Cape

Research that delivers practical solutions, closer collaboration across the sugar value chain, and finding new ways to extract value from sugar cane were among the key themes at the recent 98th South African Sugar Technologists’ Association (SASTA) Congress in Durban.

South Africa produces an estimated 33 000t of strawberries annually from around 740ha, with growers facing establishment costs of up to R2 million/ha and labour accounting for as much as 45% of production costs.