South Africa

The farming industry is vital to the world’s food industry and requires the utmost protection from cyberattacks. This is according to Carey van Vlaanderen, CEO of ESET Southern Africa, who believes that with the evolution of technology, the digital threat level for farmers has increased in recent years.

Parliament recently approved the Expropriation Bill, which has now been sent to President Cyril Ramaphosa for his assent. While there are no timelines in which the president is required to sign a bill, Annelize Crosby, Agbiz Legal Intelligence, told Farmer’s Weekly that it would probably be signed prior to the elections scheduled for 29 May 2024.

The drought in South Africa is a societal challenge and not just an agricultural problem, according to Noko Masipa, the DA’s Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.

The effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns are still lingering in the agriculture sector as some businesses have closed permanently while shifts in market demand have influenced the operations of others.

As the South African citrus export season kicks into high gear in the coming weeks, a significant bilateral protocol has been established with the Vietnamese government, paving the way for local oranges to enter the markets of Vietnam.

The summer grain crop has again been revised down as the drought takes its toll on South Africa. The size of the expected commercial maize crop has been set at 13,26 million tons – 7,69% or 1,1 million tons less than the previous forecast in February.

Macadamias South Africa (SAMAC) has been defrauded of R4 million, dealing a further blow to curbing theft in the industry. Macadamia nut theft is rife in South Africa, where both individual criminals and syndicates operate to amass the nuts before they reach processors.

Agribusiness confidence remained downbeat in the first quarter of 2024 and will probably stay that way in the second quarter.

Solid business partnerships will become increasingly important to navigate market threats, according to Absa’s recently released AgriTrends Autumn 2024.

Fruitless and wasteful expenditure has increased almost a thousand-fold, from R33 000 in 2021/22 to over R30 million during the 2022/23 fiscal year, according to the recently released budget review and recommendations report of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.

A new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been reported in the Free State. This is according to a statement by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.

The devastating drought, coupled with the grave impact that extreme temperatures have on agricultural producers, calls for government support, Grain SA said in a statement.

In February, the global food commodity price index, used as a benchmark, recorded its seventh consecutive decline, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

South Africa’s logistical challenges came under scrutiny at the highly regarded international fruit and vegetable producers’ gathering.

Macadamia prices paid to farmers reached rock bottom last year, leading to many farmers seeking alternative markets for their nuts rather than the traditional approach of selling to local processors.

The agricultural, forestry and fisheries industry shrunk by 9,7% in the fourth quarter of 2023, and 12,2% year-on-year, according to the latest GDP results released by Statistics South Africa.

Huge benefits for North West farmers as they receive much-needed equipment, writes Glenneis Kriel.

Prices paid for nyala on auction has risen steadily, with bulls going from an average of R9 300 in 2022 to R14 000 in 2023. The game industry is continuing its recovery after receiving two blows over the past few years.

With yet another fuel price hike on the horizon for March, the potential impact on the already under-pressure agriculture sector raises concerns about heightened production costs, reduced profit margins, and potential ripple effects on food prices for consumers.

The National Council for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty for Animals (NSPCA) has called for a complete ban of livestock exports via sea following the discovery of the abhorrent condition in which animals were kept on the Al Kuwait, which docked in Cape Town last week to load feed on its way from Brazil to Iraq.