Farmers on high alert for ‘gigantic’ brown locust outbreaks

Agri Northern Cape is urging farmers to report brown locust outbreaks to their local district locust officers as soon as they are first observed.

Farmers warned to be on the lookout for digital scams

Unfortunately, there is no recourse for farmers who have fallen victim to the recent scam in which fraudsters impersonated officials from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (agriculture department).

‘Farmers on Lesotho border left abandoned by security forces’

Free State farmers on the Free State’s border with Lesotho are for all intents and purposes left to their own devices as far as safety and security is concerned.

R131 billion funding to reduce SA’s fossil fuel use welcomed

Agri SA has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on Wednesday, 3 November that South Africa has secured R131 billion to steer the country away from its dependence on coal for energy generation towards ‘green energy’.

SA’s rolling blackouts driving up farmers’ production costs

PwC, a multinational accounting and auditing firm, expects the rolling blackouts experienced across South Africa to reduce the country’s GDP growth by three percentage points, and potentially cost the country 350 000 jobs this year.

Climate change severely affecting Africa’s farmers

Southern African countries attending the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) should try to negotiate compensation for the loss and damages suffered by these countries due to historical inequalities

SA sugar cane growers welcome cotton as a rotational crop

Sugar cane growers have expressed optimism about using cotton production as part of a diversification strategy.

SA expecting good grain, oilseed crops, despite rising costs

Some analysts have expressed their concern that rising input costs such as that of fertiliser and other agrochemicals could potentially discourage farmers from planting grain crops.

Diesel price expected to hit highest-ever level in November

Should the price of diesel increase in November as predicted by the Central Energy Fund (CEF), this will be the highest wholesale price of diesel ever recorded in South Africa. This was according to Ikageng Maluleke, Grain SA economist.

Online sales ‘moving boundaries’ for livestock auctions

Many South African livestock auction records have been crushed since the start of the year.

Rain brings hope to farmers in Central and Klein Karoo

The widespread rain that had been falling over large parts of South Africa since Thursday, 21 October, has brought relief to many farmers.

IDC grants R85 million for sugar farmers affected by unrest

The sugar industry has expressed relief and gratitude for the Industrial Development Corporation’s (IDC) pledge of R85 million in financial assistance for the damage suffered during the civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal during July.

Poor timing for a fuel price increase – Grain SA

Any fuel price increases in November will cost South Africa’s grain producers dearly, Grain SA economist, Luan van der Walt, has warned.

Avian flu flares up among wild birds in the Western Cape

The ostrich industry is on high alert following the latest flare up of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) among wild birds in the Western Cape.

Year-to-date tractor and combine sales up by 30%

The strong performance in agriculture machinery sales in September can be attributed to an optimistic outlook for the upcoming season, with weather experts predicting a 70% chance of a La Niña weather pattern in the Southern Hemisphere.

Farming ‘essential’ for growth in communal areas – Didiza

In government’s view, South Africa’s proposed Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan should focus on positioning the local agriculture sector as an essential industry in terms of national economic growth and development.

Farmers have to make things work for themselves – Vercueil

The uncertainty about private property rights, diminishing collateral value of land, poverty, food insecure communities, a population that is growing faster than the economy, security problems, and climate change all work together to create an atmosphere of negativity in South Africa.

Senior Joburg Market official charged with R5,5 million fraud

Corruption and fraud are endemic in South Africa, with such deeds more often than not carried out by people with a misplaced sense of entitlement.

Mpumalanga agriculture MEC murder accusation met with shock

Mpumalanga Agriculture has expressed disappointment about the MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development and Land and Environmental Affairs in Mpumalanga, Mandla Msibi, being accused of violent crimes, and the potential impact his dismissal will have on the agriculture sector.

Maintenance issues impeding KZN sugar-milling capacity

With only eight weeks of milling left until the industry’s annual shutdown period, the crops of many sugar cane farmers are being turned away by sugar mills due to diminished capacity.

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