South Africa

One of South Africa's largest poultry producers, Rainbow Chicken, marked its 60th anniversary by opening a new plant in Hammarsdale near Durban on Monday. This signals the intention to bring Rainbow’s production volumes back to pre-2017 levels and return the plant facility to full operating capacity.

Blueberry producers internationally are consolidating and using new technologies and genetics to survive the price cost squeeze, according to the recently released Global State of the Blueberry Industry Report 2023.

Free State Agriculture (FSA) urgently called on members of the public for donations of animal feed after the past weekend’s devastating veldfires in which, among others, 300 sheep and 18 in-calf cows succumbed to the flames on a farm near Winnie Mandela (previously Brandfort).

Employment in the agriculture sector is up, but a proposed increase in the national minimum wage could limit further growth.

South Africa’s avocado and beef industries are set to receive a boost through market access to China, as announced during the 15th BRICS Summit, currently being held in South Africa.

Civil rights organisation AfriForum has strongly criticised the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) recent statistics on farm murders, saying they were incorrect.

The impact of climate change on the agriculture sector will be compounded by the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, if not managed properly.

Contraceptives are now being successfully used to prevent elephant overpopulation in South Africa. Approximately 75% of all breeding-age female elephants outside of the greater Kruger National Park had been successfully treated with immunocontraceptives in 47 reserves to prevent overpopulation.

Greater usage of drones for chemical applications on farms is being hindered by a lack of progress on product label specifications.

Staple food prices continue to rise placing pressure on higher-end produce like avocados. Compared with the same period last year, potatoes were trading 77% higher, with carrots trading 6% higher.

Public hearings on the newly proposed Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land (PDAL) Bill are currently underway in Gauteng.

First, it was false codling moth, and now the EU using citrus black spot (CBS) as an excuse to block citrus exports from South Africa.

While the contribution of women to economic activity is substantial the world over, it is by and large undervalued.

A R176 million lifeline from the South African Sugar Association has given the country's small-scale sugar cane growers a fighting chance within the embattled industry.

While the fresh produce industry is facing serious challenges, it has never been set to make as great an impact as now, Cathy Burns, CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), said at the IFPA Southern Africa conference in Cape Town.

Facilities to produce two million chickens per week lie empty in South Africa as dumped imports of chicken elbow local competition out of the market.

Livestock theft plaguing farming communities has been under the spotlight recently with many farmers calling on the police to do more to assist them.

The South African agriculture sector currently had to feed a population of 60,3 million people, according to Dr Ben Greyling, research team manager for the Agricultural Research Council’s (ARC) Beef Cattle Improvement scheme.

The newly proposed smoking laws have been described as ‘catastrophic’ for the tobacco industry, holding dire consequences for the agriculture sector and the fight against crime syndicates.

The acquisition of embattled Tongaat Hulett’s sugar division by Kagera Sugar Ltd, owned by Tanzanian multimillionaire Seif Ali Seif, has given a sense of relief to thousands in South Africa’s sugar industry.