South Africa

Speckled pigeons, red-eyed and Cape turtle doves are becoming a serious problem in the summer grain production region of South Africa.

Emerging game ranchers in Limpopo will receive assistance from the private sector and government following the recent signing of an agreement between Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA) and the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (Dedet).

The 2013 harvest season exceeded the expectations of the wine industry and final intake figures show that this was the biggest wine grape crop ever produced in South Africa.

Citrus exporters have been frustrated by congestion at Durban Port over the past two weeks, which during its peak saw up to 200 trucks waiting two days to offload.

After previously being fined R250 million for anti-competitive practices in South Africa’s chemical fertiliser market, Sasol is now facing fresh charges of excessive pricing for its polymer products.

KwaZulu-Natal SAPS suspect that the three men that they arrested recently near Jozini Dam in northern Zululand may be linked to previous rhino poaching attempts or incidents.

This year sees nine more stands added to Nampo Harvest Day’s outdoor area, meaning more space for more innovative new equipment.

Employment in the agricultural sector increased by nearly 8% during the first quarter of this year compared with the last quarter of 2012.

Citrus black spot (CBS) topped discussions during the recent bilateral meeting between Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Tina Joemat-Pettersson, and German Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Ilse Aigner.

The Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Administration (DARDLA) recently announced the development of 248ha of land over the next five years into a new fresh produce hub for the province that will cost some R1 billion.

The public and interested parties are invited to attend the public hearings on the Agricultural Produce Marketing Agencies Bill 2013, published in the Government Gazette on 28 March.

The Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform recently allocated R15 million to the supply of livestock and improvement of farming skills for emerging farmers in the province.

Farmers have welcomed a revision of the South African Weather Service’s (SAWS) classification system for severe weather-related hazards.

Good growing conditions in many wine growing regions has seen the wine grape crop estimate for 2013 increase somewhat and expectations are that the 2013 harvest, although smaller in some areas, will surpass the 2012 harvest to become one of the three biggest wine grape harvests in history.

South Africa needs to increase its energy supply drastically, because this is the biggest issue preventing the country from moving forward, Agbiz’s Lindie Stroebel told delegates at a meeting of the Agri Business Chamber Eastern Cape in Port Elizabeth recently.

Producers in the summer grain production areas have started harvesting the 2012/2013 grain crop, but yields were fluctuating dramatically from region to region.

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) is confident that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is no longer prevalent in SA.

Provincial conservation organisation, Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife, has shot and killed a three metre Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) that it said had long plagued residents along the lower reaches of the Umgeni River.

Multi-national energy and chemical company, Sasol, recently committed to two separate collaboration agreements to help conserve South Africa’s stressed freshwater resources.

A consortium of over 5 600 emerging and commercial sugarcane growers have purchased a transport division of Unitrans in a deal which puts the multi-national logistics company’s Amatikulu transport depot in growers’ hands.