South Africa

Nonceba Kontsiwe, Eastern Cape MEC for Agriculture, called on farmers to expand their operations and venture into the entire red meat value chain to make a meaningful impact on the economy.

Speakers highlighted ways to improve farmer resilience in a bid to future-proof the wine industry at the recent Vinpro Nedbank Producer Day 2025, entitled ‘Navigating Climate Chaos’.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report shows that respondents are concerned about extreme weather and conflict in the present, short and long terms.

The Expropriation Bill has reignited discussions on land reform and its potential impacts on food security, property rights, and agricultural productivity. This follows its signing into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday, 23 January, concluding a two-decade-long effort to address historical land injustices.

Due to outbreaks of Goss’s bacterial wilt (Clovibacter michiganensis subsp. Nebraskensis) and bud rot of palms (Phytophthora palmivora) in South Africa, Botswana’s Ministry of Lands and Agriculture (MLA) recently suspended imports of certain commodities from South Africa.

South Africa’s agritourism sector saw rising interest from the youth, city dwellers and families over the past festive season, according to Jacqui Taylor, CEO and founder of Agritourism Africa.

Financing for and investment in regenerative agriculture in South Africa are currently lagging behind what is happening in the rest of the world.

The African Baza, a bulk carrier sailing under the Bahamas flag, last week offloaded 23 700t of white maize produced in the US at the Port of Durban.

Gauteng MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, accompanied by the Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Johannesburg, Pan Qingjiang launched a tree-planting initiative on Wednesday.

Government and private sector will have to work together to get real results from the recently signed the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan.

The Competition Commission released its final report on the Fresh Produce Market Inquiry (FPMI). Retailers have, for the most part, been cleared of any wrongdoing regarding price gouging or keeping new or small-scale farmers out of this market.

Despite some temperature variability during spring 2024, conditions have stabilised, resulting in a positive outlook for raisin production.