South Africa

Under the theme ‘Unlocking the value of bio-inputs through collaborative partnerships’, the Bio-Alliance SA-Brazil 2025 Conference, held at Future Africa in Pretoria on 5 and 6 November, explored how collaboration between Brazil and South Africa advances science-based bio-input solutions.

President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the first-ever G20 Leaders’ Summit on African soil on Saturday with a powerful call for global co-operation, shared responsibility, and accelerated action to address the world’s most pressing challenges.

South Africa has used its G20 presidency to elevate biosecurity as a central pillar of the forum’s agricultural work for 2025.

Debra Mallowah, Bayer Africa Head for Crop Science and chairperson of the B20 Task Force on Sustainable Food Systems and Agriculture, delivered a message that urgently called for action at a high-level side-event co-hosted by the African Union Commission, FNB, AGRA and Bayer: Africa has only four harvests left before 2030 to change the trajectory of its food security.

While most of South Africa is battling widespread foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks, Limpopo remains free of FMD, with the province’s agriculture MEC Nakedi Kekana saying strict long-term control measures, vaccination strategy and strict livestock monitoring have kept the virus at bay.

Farmers in the small Eastern Cape town of Nqanqarhu have received a welcome major boost to their vegetable production following the delivery of vital water infrastructure and agricultural inputs by the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture.

South Africa’s G20 presidency has launched an initiative to shape global artificial intelligence governance, focusing on digital equity, rights protection, and development in the Global South, guided by the Task Force Three concept note for the 2025 G20 cycle.

South Africa has placed food security at the centre of its G20 agenda under the overarching theme of Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability. This signals a concerted global effort to stabilise food systems, lower input and commodity price volatility, strengthen regional markets, and build resilience across the value chain.

The Trump administration’s decision not to reduce its 30% reciprocal tariff on South African table grapes flies in the face of US consumer demand.

South Africa’s G20 presidency coincides with tight budgets, rising debt, and climate risks for many developing nations. The G20 South Africa 2025 Summit, through three new task forces, seeks to refocus global economic governance on fairness, opportunity, and resilience.

All animals infected with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the Gouda area have been vaccinated as part of approved containment measures, the Joint Operations Centre for FMD, led by the Western Cape, has confirmed.

AgriSA is actively working with international partners to address how trade-linked climate regulations could impact African agriculture, stressing that policies from regions with very different development contexts should not put the continent at a disadvantage.

Goss’s wilt, caused by the bacterium Clavibacter nebraskensis, was first identified in the US in 1969 and has since spread to Southern Africa, prompting action by farmers, scientists, and policymakers.

Astral Foods Limited has reported a strong recovery for the year ended 30 September 2025, with revenue up 10%, profit before interest and tax rising 11%, earnings per share increasing by 6%, and cash generated from operations improving by 20%.

Global dairy prices have rebounded over the past year amid tight supply and a shift towards recognising dairy’s environmental value. South African producers remain competitive, though weak demand, poor infrastructure, and trade barriers continue to pose challenges for them.

The agriculture sector’s resilience was celebrated on Friday, 14 November, during the Agricultural Writers SA awards evening, where farmers, agriculturalists, and agricultural communicators were lauded for their contribution to the sector’s success. The event took place in Worcester, Western Cape.

The Agricultural Research Council announced the winners of the 2025 National Master Dairyman Awards in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, on Thursday, 13 November.

A Rift Valley fever outbreak confirmed in livestock in the Kakamas area near Augrabies has prompted the Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform to call for immediate on-farm biosecurity action.

The Daidoh Summer Kid Mohair Awards, hosted by Mohair South Africa on 12 October at the Botanics in Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape, welcomed over 220 guests from across the mohair value chain, including farmers, brokers, and international partners.

The increase in frequency and severity of climate disasters has meant that farmers are increasingly unlikely to recover from adverse weather events. The agriculture sector has therefore reiterated calls for government to provide subsidised insurance to maintain food production.