South Africa

Believing that agriculture on the African continent could soon be facing a wave of growth and prosperity, has led Agri Mega to open an office in Pretoria in Gauteng recently, according to the company.

Poor working conditions of forestry workers, who were mostly contracted on a minimum wage for physically demanding work, increased the possibility of strikes similar to those on mines and Western Cape farms from spreading to the forestry industry.

A 12-day fire destroyed 215 000ha on the Ghaap plateau in the Northern Cape last month, leaving stricken farmers with no grazing. Annelie Coleman reports.

All grades of petrol will be 9c/l cheaper as from Wednesday 5 December and the price of diesel will decrease by between 5c/l and 6c/l.

The North West department of agriculture recently launched its Aquaculture and Fisheries Programme at Disaneng Dam near Mahikeng.

Free State Agriculture (FSA) has argued that a distinction should be made between criminal incidents on farms and farm attacks.

The total number of rhinos lost to poaching since the beginning of this year stood at 588, with 246 suspects being arrested.

Unconscionably excessive, reckless and unethical was how the public protector, Thuli Madonsela described agricultural minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson’s spending.

Sustainable farming in South Africa has been given a boost by Nedbank which announced that it would invest R8,3 million in the World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa’s (WWF-SA) Sustainable Agriculture Programme.

Population growth and rapid urbanisation will lead to a strong increase in the demand for food globally which means that the future looks bright for agriculture, but there are many challenges standing in the way of farmers seizing the opportunity to increase production.

Conflicting reports have emerged regarding the apparent imminent de-gazetting of the Gongolo restitution land claim in KwaZulu-Natal, which 10 years after being gazetted, has not been resolved.

Farmers in KZN’s Estcourt area made headlines recently when they assisted police in tracking down a man on 4 November who allegedly stabbed his wife and sister-in-law before fleeing with his toddler grandson.