South Africa

While the Department of Water and Sanitation is improving water security in South Africa, farmers are worried about how failures at municipal level might impact them, according to Janse Rabie, AgriSA’s head of natural resources.

Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at Agbiz, highlighted the urgency for the BRICS bloc to deepen economic co-operation, particularly in agriculture during the Farming Forward event hosted by Standard Bank and Business Day at Sun City.

While South Africa faces stiff competition for its avocados in export markets, it is import tariffs and non-tariff barriers that result in the biggest hindrance to our export growth.

South Africa’s food is among the most affordable in the world, but the economic situation in the country is placing immense financial strain on consumers, making it increasingly challenging for people to access nutritious food. This was according to Roelie van Heerden, supply chain executive at Beefmaster Group.

South Africa’s agricultural regions are not expected to see a significant locust outbreak this season, according to Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, operations and stewardship manager at CropLife South Africa.

Growth in agriculture is in general two to three times more effective at reducing poverty than an equivalent amount of growth generated outside agriculture.

Wine businesses that ignore Gen Z’s drive for environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles do so at their own peril, says Frans van Wyk, director of Agrifusion.

South Africa is faced with an enormous and ever-increasing rat population that could cause serious diseases such as bubonic fever.

Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, delivered the medium-term budget policy statement on Thursday, which was met with mixed reactions from the agriculture sector.

It is essential for South African livestock producers to recognise that the consumer is king and that the new generation of red meat buyers have very specific demands. This was according to Prof Arno Hugo, professor in Animal Science in Meat Science at the University of the Free State.

South Africa’s agriculture sector is ramping up biosecurity measures to combat foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in affected provinces, with North West, Free State, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga implementing targeted testing and movement controls.

Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba is taking decisive action to combat corruption, firmly warning officials to stop diverting drought relief funds meant for struggling farmers.

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has put the brakes on the commercial release of Bayer’s drought-tolerant maize variety MON87460, citing that the Department of Agriculture and the Executive Council (EC) for Generically Modified Organisms (GMO) did not follow due diligence in their risk assessment when they approved the permit.

The macadamia industry is at risk of repeating past mistakes by once again becoming overly reliant on the Chinese market, which could lead to further disruptions.

The 2024 wildfire season has officially become the worst in South Africa in the past eight years, with the Working on Fire-Kishugu joint venture having responded to an unprecedented 2 304 wildfire incidents by 21 October.

Director General of the Department of Agriculture Mooketsa Ramasodi delivered a keynote address at the launch of Agrimall, a new digital platform aimed at revolutionising South Africa’s agriculture sector. The event took place recently in Midrand.

The South African red meat industry must undergo significant renewal to address future challenges, says Kobus Bester, director of the Livestock Registering Federation.

The agriculture sector in Gauteng faces a potential crisis as water shortages grip the province, worsened by significant leaks in Johannesburg’s water infrastructure. Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, MEC of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, has highlighted the serious consequences for farmers relying on municipal water.

The Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) launched a large-scale cropping programme in Ngxakaxha village, Mbhashe Local Municipality, on Wednesday. The initiative is part of broader efforts to tackle poverty in the province.

The agriculture sector in South Africa needs to change the way it thinks about pest management and biodiversity, according to Dr Johnnie van den Berg, manager of the integrated pest management programme at the Unit of Environmental Services of the University of North-West.