South Africa

Amid a delayed and uncertain start to the 2026/27 sugar cane season, KwaZulu-Natal’s sugar industry is pinning its hopes on a grower-led rescue plan aimed at preventing the liquidation of Tongaat Hulett and safeguarding thousands of jobs linked to its mills and refinery operations.

The rapidly evolving cannabis and hemp industry took centre stage at the Cheeba Cannabis & Hemp Summit, held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg from 29 to 31 May.

As South Africa’s dairy industry marks World Milk Day on 1 June, the experiences of women across the value chain reflect an industry under increasing pressure as producers and processors navigate rising costs, climate variability, and shifting consumer demand.

South Africa’s wine industry is failing to connect with a rapidly modernising township consumer market that is increasingly driving food, lifestyle and premium alcohol trends, entrepreneur and author GG Alcock told delegates at the South Africa Wine Summit 2026.

The Eastern Cape’s emerging hemp industry has taken a step forward following the display of locally processed hemp fabric at a stakeholder engagement session held at the Southern Sun Hotel in Nelson Mandela Bay earlier this week.

South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination campaign is facing increasing scrutiny as Parliament raises concerns about the state’s ability to contain the outbreak and questions intensify over whether government has the operational capacity to manage vaccine rollout at the speed and scale required.

Ahead of International Day of Potato on 30 May, attention is being given to the role potatoes play in food supply and agricultural activity in South Africa, alongside ongoing production pressures.

South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has called for faster regional cooperation to strengthen food security, improve fertiliser access, and contain the growing threat of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) across Southern Africa.

South African wheat farmers are facing mounting financial pressure as continued delays in the implementation of a revised wheat tariff add further uncertainty to an industry already grappling with rising input costs, weak profitability, and shrinking plantings.

During a roundtable discussion hosted by the Localisation Support Fund on 27 May in Sandton, Johannesburg, discussions centred on South Africa’s growing dependence on imported fuel and the commercial potential of sorghum bioethanol.

Speakers at the Hortgro Technical Symposium 2026, which kicked off in Somerset West in the Western Cape yesterday, said South Africa’s agriculture sector is being reshaped by climate shocks, logistics constraints, tightening regulation, and changing global trade dynamics, while remaining highly competitive and export-oriented.

A Pretoria High Court ruling on private foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination has opened a new chapter in South Africa’s disease-control response, granting livestock owners an interim court-protected route to procure and administer vaccines privately, while simultaneously exposing a gap between government’s interpretation of the judgment and what the court ordered.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for closer agricultural collaboration between South Africa and Botswana, while raising concerns over import restrictions affecting South African fruit and vegetable exports to the neighbouring country.

Flooding across much of the Western Cape in May has been described by some producers as the worst in 100 years, with record 24-hour rainfall for the period reported across the province, affecting all districts.

The discovery of dozens of dead pigs in and around Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape has renewed concerns over the biosecurity risks posed by free-roaming livestock in peri-urban communities, with veterinary authorities warning that uncontrolled animal movement can accelerate the spread of disease.

Cannabis and industrial hemp development formed part of discussions on Wednesday during day two of the Africa Agricultural Indaba, where stakeholders in agriculture, government and investment sectors gathered to assess value chain opportunities in the Eastern Cape and across South Africa.

The South African wine industry is under pressure from rising stock levels, a contracting vineyard footprint, and shifting global demand, forcing producers to rethink long-term production models.

South Africa’s annual consumer inflation rate accelerated sharply to 4% in April, up from 3,1% in March, driven primarily by a steep increase in fuel prices that filtered through the transport sector and broader economy.

At the Africa Agricultural Indaba 2026 in East London, the Eastern Cape government is intensifying its push for agriculture-led economic growth, with Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane and Agriculture MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe urging stronger investment in agro-processing, local procurement, and farmer commercialisation.

South African agriculture’s resilience was on display at the 58th Nampo Harvest Day, which attracted 81 822 visitors and more than 910 exhibitors to Nampo Park outside Bothaville in the Free State from 12 to 15 May despite difficult conditions.