South Africa

The South African Weather Services (SAWS) has issued a warned about Tropical Storm Eloise, which was currently moving over the northern parts of Madagascar and was expected to enter the Mozambique Channel by 21 January.

The spill-over of the liquor ban to the agriculture sector is going to be serious, but the impact is yet to be determined, according to Agri SA executive director, Christo van der Rheede.

After three difficult years, the 2020/2021 Bulida apricot crop was an example of how quickly nature can recover due to favourable conditions.

With early rain experienced in different parts of the country, high infestation levels of the fall armyworm (FAW) can be expected. Farmers and community members were therefore encouraged to regularly scout for FAW during the 2020/2021 crop production season, particularly in younger plantings.

A hailstorm that recently struck parts of the Langkloof caused substantial damage in the area with apples and pears among the main crops affected.

Farmworker wages could increase as much as 16,1% in 2021. This followed the National Minimum Wage Commission recommending in November 2020 that the minimum wage for farmworkers be aligned with the national minimum wage (NMW) in 2021, based on the argument that the agriculture sector was not as severely affected as other sectors by the COVID-19-related lockdown.

Many South Africans fearful of COVID-19 are reportedly throwing caution to the wind by orally consuming ivermectin-based products registered nationally only for administration to livestock in oral, injectable or pour-on formats.

Farmers in the Northern Cape and Klein Karoo have described the recent heavy rainfall received in these regions as a blessing after years of crippling drought.

A farmworker, Doreen Frieslaar, has been killed and numerous others have been injured in a road accident on Tuesday, 4 January on the N1 between De Doorns and Worcester.

Restrictions on people’s movements during the various COVID-19-related lockdown stages last year appear not to have helped reduce the number of murders on South Africa’s farms and smallholdings.

It is too early to determine the extent of the damage caused to grain plantings following extremely high rainfall in parts of the western Free State during the past two weeks, but it can be assumed that the damage is extensive.

South Africans have been warned not to use the parasiticide, ivermectin, as a preventative or curative treatment for COVID-19. This is after the international debate on the drug’s effectiveness against the disease reached local shores late last year.

The South African wine industry expects a promising 2021 wine grape harvest, according to the industry’s first crop estimate.

While macadamias rode out the storm last year, 2021 is likely to see a price decrease in US dollar terms for the first time in years.

Not only is a record crop predicted for this season’s wheat harvest, but wheat prices have also achieved record highs.

Limited marketing opportunities for secondary fruit can be a big challenge for table grape producers this season, according to Francois Rossouw, managing director of Mooigezicht Estates near De Doorns.

The strong demand for avocados is expected to keep prices stable during 2021 as global players start entering the Asian market. In the past, demand for avocados was driven by consumers in the US and EU, but Asia was fast catching up.

Although chicken and eggs are popular, lower-cost protein sources for many South African consumers, widespread unemployment and other COVID-19-related economic challenges will pose a major threat to demand in 2021.

The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza recently gazetted the new statutory citrus export levy for 2021, which has been welcomed by the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA).

A recent ruling in the South African Land Claims Court (SALCC) has opened a door for landowners to successfully achieve court orders compelling farm dwellers to reduce their livestock numbers on overstocked land.