South Africa

The minimum wage for farm workers will increase by 6,4% on 1 March 2014, and not 7%, as was previously announced, according to Hendrik Ackermann, chairperson of Agri SA’s labour and social policy committee.

About R2 million is needed for an epidemiological survey of the kudu rabies epidemic in Namibia.

TAU SA North has appointed a new regional manager, Drickus Botha from Dendron in Limpopo.

Three foreign agricultural companies operating in Zimbabwe were under pressure from the country’s ruling ZANU-PF party to comply with the country’s indigenisation laws.

Gerrit van Rensburg, Western Cape agriculture and rural development MEC announced in a statement yesterday (27 January) that he would retire as provincial MEC after the 2014 elections.

Drought-stricken farmers in the Free State were in a desperate financial situation, according to Free State Agriculture’s operational manager, Dr Jack Armour.

A KwaZulu-Natal woman could be spending some time behind bars after police arrested her for allegedly cultivating a field of dagga at her Thunzini homestead.

Independent Electorate Commission chairperson Advocate Pansy Tlakula has appealed to the agriculture sector to allow the IEC's staff reasonable access to their farms during elections.

Grain SA has released an update on production conditions for the summer grains. The information was updated on 20 January.

The Public Protector is investigating the R570–million Vrede Dairy Project in the Free State.

The rand has plunged to its lowest level in five years amid strikes in the platinum mining industry.

The South African Poultry Association (SAPA) has reported a decline in the retail price of chicken despite high input costs and last year’s tariff increase on imported chicken.

Monsanto has achieved a ranking of 37 out of 100 most sustainable companies.

The third annual Undercover Farming expo and conference will take place from 4 to 6 March in Pretoria under the theme ‘What drives modernisation in the Industry’.

AfriForum has announced an action plan to intensify its fight against farm murders. The plan includes an intensified awareness and protest campaign to put pressure on the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa, to prioritise farm murders, as well as an extensive local self-protection strategy.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has named 2014 the International Year of Family Farming.

Fancy yourself a leading farmer with a strong management philosophy and technical skills? Now is your chance to enter the Free State Agriculture Young Farmer of the Year 2014 competition.

No further energy hikes are on the cards for the next two years, according to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa).

The price of local soya bean-based food products and animal feed may decline due to bumper soya bean crops in Brazil and Argentina, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The first four lions reintroduced into the uMkhuze section of KwaZulu-Natal’s iSimangaliso Wetland Park after a 44 year absence of the carnivore there, are reportedly doing well.