South Africa

Nematode populations in South Africa appear to be increasing in both prevalence and species type. Farmers are therefore cautioned to implement full integrated pest management strategies to prevent total crop losses.

The cold conditions in various parts is not expected to cause big agriculture-related losses for now.

The Simbra bull JM 18 022 (‘JacMar Buffel’) recently set a new South African record for the breed when he was sold for R550 000.

About 600 000ha in the North West have been lost to veld fires since the beginning of August. According to Naude Pienaar, assistant general manager of Agri North West, a large percentage of these fires had been caused by arson. Four people had also lost their lives in the veld fires.

The primary focus of insurance is the protection of property, products and people. But insurance, especially in the grain storage sector, can be complicated. This topic was discussed during the Grain and Oilseed Value Chain Symposium panel discussion recently hosted by Agbiz Grain.

Over the past two decades, increasing consumer demand for a reliable and consistently safe supply of food products have necessitated that food sources should be traceable.

Access to available grain stock, the risk of volume concentration, price convergence and failing infrastructure were some of the challenges that were highlighted during the panel discussion of the second day of the Grain and Oilseeds Value Chain Symposium held in Pretoria.

Step Up 2A Start Up, the Primestars youth entrepreneurship initiative, celebrated its ninth year of operation at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) on Tuesday 5, September.

During the first day of the Agbiz Grain Symposium, a panel discussed the various aspects that influence the sustainability of the grain storage sector in light of current and future demands for storage, infrastructural challenges and return on investment made by elevator owners.

The South African Poultry Association (SA Poultry) is concerned about the impact that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks might have on poultry producers and its effect on the supply chain.

The annual scourge of veldfires was continuing in the Free State, with numerous major and widespread fires actively burning on Sunday night in the areas of Smithfield and Reddersburg, as well Steynsrus and Ventersburg, among others.

The Competition Commission has approved the sale of meat supplier Tomis Group to retailer Pick n Pay. The acquisition is expected to have little effect on the industry or prices for livestock.

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.