South Africa

Dairy farmers and investors who leased dairy cattle to a farmer in Koppies in the Free State have been dealt a serious financial blow with the mysterious disappearance of their cattle.

South Africa’s economy is not growing fast enough to stem the growing tide of unemployment. The ‘new normal’ for the country is 2,5% to 3,5% of GDP growth per year.

Irrigation farmers along the Vaal River could soon face water restrictions as demand is increasing. If restrictions were to be imposed, farmers would be first in line to bear the brunt.

Parties responsible for the killing of 48 Cape Griffon vultures and one African white-backed vulture should be punished, said Griffon Poison Information Centre director Dr Gerhard Verdoorn.

Over the next 10 to 20 years farmers can expect narrower profit margins compared to the past five years, with fierce competition among local and international players.

Agriculture is such a complex industry that one ministry has difficulty co-ordinating all the functions involved.

The Risks in Agriculture Summit to be held from 26 to 27 November 2013 in Accra, Ghana, hopes to provide a platform for high level discussions for delegates involved in the growth, trade, transportation, storage and processing of cocoa, coffee, cotton, palm oil and rubber in the West African Region.

Up to a quarter of Madagascar’s food crops have been destroyed by a locust plague raging since last year.

DuPont Pioneer and Pannar Seed announced the conclusion of the transaction in which Pioneer has acquired a majority share in Pannar earlier today.

Schalk Burger, previously the manager for market development at Old Mutual’s agriculture department, died of heart attack on Monday.

Farmers targeted by grain thieves are losing up to R2/t of grain delivered at silos or mills.

Agri SA welcomed government’s firm stance against Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) reported threats of farm seizures.

Government is busy formulating legislation that would make it impossible for people living in rural and communal areas to lose their land because they could not service their debts.

SA’s agricultural high schools are in the main on a downward trend, faced with high operating expenses and a shortage of skilled teachers.

Many farmers have old equipment lying idle, such as the machines pictured here. Often the intention is to use it for spare parts or sell as scrap metal.

Most parts of the Western Cape experienced mild and even warm weather during May and July, but fruit farmers said this was nothing out of the ordinary and they were still expecting a good harvest.

Former SA Canegrowers’ chairperson Bruce Galloway was reunited with his family on 25 July, two days after being abducted from outside his home in Kloof.

South Africa’s canned fruit industry has refused to speak about an Australian anti-dumping investigation.

Voter support for the ANC could fall to under 60% of the total vote for the first time since 1994.

The high cost of labour and administered prices, like water and electricity, as well as a lack of policy coherence between government departments on matters that affected agriculture were only some of the serious challenges facing farmers.