South Africa

A mixed picture was being painted by the different entities monitoring food prices during the national lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by the Competition Commission.

None of the government departments with an interest in the recent resignation of the former director general (DG) of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (agriculture department), Mike Mlengana, have responded to Farmer’s Weekly’s repeated attempts to obtain comment on the reasons Mlengana gave for his sudden resignation.

The estimate for South Africa’s avocado exports in 2020 has been adjusted down 11,6% from 18,5 million 4kg cartons to 16 million 4kg cartons, due to smaller fruit sizes as a result of the hot, dry summer.

The decision announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday (12 July) to reinstate the ban on the sale of alcohol, has dealt another blow to the South African wine industry, which has already lost billions this year due to lockdown regulations implemented to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The positive performance of the agriculture industry in South Africa, as indicated by current economic data, should persist throughout 2020.

Tough water restrictions for the new water year are putting serious pressure on many farmers in the Gamtoos Valley in the Eastern Cape, with some operating in survival mode, according to Rienette Colesky, CEO of the Gamtoos Irrigation Board.

A well-developed cold front is expected to hit parts of South Africa later today (9 July), bringing with it bitterly cold, wet and windy weather conditions, according to the South African Weather Service (SAWS).

The production estimates for groundnuts in South Africa for the 2020 season has been revised downward by more than 16% due to the drought experienced during the past year in certain parts of the summer grain production regions, according to Luan van der Walt, Grain SA economist.

Meat to the value of almost R500 000 was looted from three trucks belonging to Vryheid Meatmasters on Monday (6 July), after the company’s vehicles got caught-up in the middle of protest action near Eshowe in KwaZulu-Natal.

Food inflation data for April and May has shown a substantial contraction in the price of chicken, while long-life milk and cake flour prices increased.

A high court ruling on the sale of water rights could have far-reaching consequences for farmers, some agriculture role players have warned.

The director general of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (agriculture department), Mike Mlengana, has resigned suddenly from his post.

South Africa is currently facing a serious shortage of diesel as a result of theft and vandalism along Transnet’s 3 800km fuel pipeline network.

The Agricultural Research Council’s (ARC) liabilities exceeded its assets by R138 million during the past financial year.

Grain SA has taken a very courageous decision to not continue with the Nampo Harvest Day event in 2020, according to Dr Kobus Laubscher, an independent agricultural economist in Bloemfontein.

In addition to diesel shortages across parts of South Africa, producers will also have to brace themselves for a hefty diesel price increase on Wednesday.

Tomato producers have been among those worst affected by a spate of cold fronts during May and June, which had a negative impact on certain fruit and vegetables traded on South Africa’s fresh produce markets.

With South Africa’s unemployment rate now standing at more than 30%, a labour expert has warned the worst was yet to come.

In a statement, which clearly outlined the perilous state of South Africa’s national finances, made worse by the economic strive that resulted from the national lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, there was some good news for the farming sector.

The failure by the management of the Tshwane Fresh Produce Market to implement meaningful and effective protocols to manage the threat posed by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been cited as the key reason for the market having to suddenly close from 24 to 26 June.