South Africa

The impact of the recent widespread unrest and rioting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng on the distribution of imported agricultural chemicals and fertiliser was extremely worrying, said Corné Louw, economist at Grain SA.

The arrest of five members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Free State on charges of stock theft, perjury and defeating the ends of justice was underpinned by the SAPS’s inertia to prevent crime and its propensity to rather follow up on crimes after they had already occurred. This was according to Francois Strydom, chairperson of Agbiz.

A new South African record was set by the Bos Blanco Beefmaster stud when it sold the bull BOS 166 103 to Chris van Heerden of Gamtouw Farming near Bronkhorstspruit for R1,1 million.

It’s too early to have a clear indication of the damage to agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) as a result of the recent riots in the province, but Sandy La Marque, CEO of the KZN Agricultural Union (Kwanalu), estimates the losses to be in the billions of rand.

The Durban Fresh Produce Market opened its doors on Friday morning for the first time since social unrest saw trading halted on Monday. Sales were expectedly high, with some products selling out quickly as buyers sought to replenish stocks.

The civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal, in particular, is threatening food security across the country. De Wet Boshoff, executive director of the Animal Feed Manufacturers’ Association, said the violent protests had disrupted supply chains in various ways, making it a nightmare to venture onto any road in KwaZulu-Natal.

A task team, comprising organised agriculture and the agribusiness sector, has presented an urgent document to government outlining the extensive impact of this week’s violent protests on agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal.

Farmers in the southwestern Free State are counting the cost of wildfires that occurred in the region earlier this week and raged across an area of over 82km, destroying about 60 000ha along with infrastructure and livestock.

Industry bodies and agricultural leaders have expressed grave concern about the disruption of supply chains, as violent protests continue to sweep across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

A crucial link in KwaZulu-Natal’s food security, the Durban Fresh Produce Market, has been shut down since Monday due to the violent protests in the province.

Fires being set to sugar cane lands as part of the ongoing unrest in KwaZulu-Natal is resulting in severe damage amounting to hundreds of millions of rand.

The Watercrest Mall was one of many shopping centres in Durban to come under fire as violent protests and looting continue unabated in KwaZulu-Natal.

Dairy farmers in KwaZulu-Natal have had to pour hundreds of thousands of litres of milk down the drain since protest action, looting and vandalism started across the province in the second weekend of July.

Fears are growing about food security as violent protests and looting continue across some parts of South Africa.

The extension of the Level 4 COVID-19-related lockdown restrictions for another two weeks until 25 July will further exacerbate the crisis in the wine industry, with many wine businesses facing closure

The violent protests and looting sweeping South Africa at present have far-reaching implications for the agricultural industry.

The blueberry industry could see double-digit growth if quality and consistency issues currently plaguing the sector are addressed.

The recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in KwaZulu-Natal had not spread to the rest of the province and was still largely contained in the municipal districts of King Cetshwayo, Umnkhanyakude and Zululand.

With the Cottonlands Egg Hub in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal nearing completion and preparing to start full operation later this month, egg producers in eThekwini are urged to register their businesses on the eThekwini Municipality’s agribusiness department database to access market opportunities.

Farmers should not express their anger about protracted stock theft cases on social media, as this could set their cases back years, and put further strain on their wallets and the legal system.