South Africa

Those farming alongside South Africa’s border with Lesotho have been forsaken by the South African government, according to Dr Jane Buys, Free State Agriculture’s (FSA) safety risk analyst.

Skewed social media messages about elephants and conservation are leading to greater destruction of the environment, according to Deon Furstenburg, an independent wildlife scientist and consultant to Wildlife Ranching South Africa.

A newly released report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has uncovered new evidence that the bones and body parts of captive lions bred in South Africa are being traded to Asia in large numbers.

On the eve of yet another fuel price hike, this time in early November, farmers in the eastern parts of South Africa were scrambling to secure adequate volumes of diesel in order to be able to plant their crops. This was according to Henry Geldenhuys, a grain producer near Ermelo and president of TLU SA.

The South African government’s readiness to control large-scale locust outbreaks is a cause for serious concern.

While the agriculture sector has welcomed plans to grow South Africa’s economy inclusively by nearly doubling government spending on infrastructure, there is some dismay about the lack of direct assistance for farmers.

The theft of grain seed in the Free State is escalating alarmingly, with millions of rands worth of seed being stolen in the province since August, according to Dr Jane Buys, Free State Agriculture’s (FSA) safety and risk analyst.

A new R1,95 billion blended financing scheme aimed at the commercialisation of black farmers has been welcomed by Christo van der Rheede, CEO of Agri SA.

A newly established indigenous veld goat project promises to unlock the raw potential of Eastern Cape communities plagued by poverty.

Developing smallholder citrus farmers in South Africa will continue to be hard-hit by the rising pressure of increasing input costs over the next few years. This was according to a statement by Justin Chadwick, CEO of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA).

The South African Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO) has welcomed the recent landmark agreement signed with Saudi Arabia to export between 500t and 1 000t of red meat per annum to that country from next year.

The macadamia industry has called 2022 a watershed year amid a perfect storm of challenges that has brought uncertainty to what has been a consistently high-performing industry.

Many farmers in the Northern Cape have been left in dire straits following wildfires that have devastated more than 300 000ha since August.

The agriculture sector plays a critical role in the South African Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan. This was the message from President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered by the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, at the Agri SA Congress 2022 that got underway in Pretoria on Thursday (13 October).

Stakeholders in the agriculture sector have welcomed the establishment of South Africa’s new National Biosecurity Hub.

The expected 1,33% increase in soya bean production announced in the Crop Estimates Committee’s (CEC) September crop forecast is testament to the growing awareness of soya bean’s value as a viable alternative for summer crop production.

The current strike action by the United National Transport Union and the South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union is the last thing the South African economy needs at the moment.

Following the first brown locust outbreak in the Northern Cape, there are fears that locust numbers could get out of hand due to vast areas of vacant land in the province.

The South African poultry industry is expected to recover to pre-COVID-19 levels following increased demand for chicken meat amid higher beef and lamb prices.

The heatwave experienced during the week of 3 October along with Stage 4 rolling blackouts have delivered a double blow to Limpopo’s crop and livestock farmers.