South Africa

Fightback from major role players in South Africa’s tobacco value chain, together with some civil rights organisations, against government’s ongoing ban on the legal trade in tobacco products is rapidly gaining momentum.

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) recently announced that it would allow power utility Eskom to recover R13,3 billion from customers for electricity supplied in the 2018/2019 financial year.

South Africa currently has inadequate stocks of diesel, and rationing is being implemented to manage demand and preserve stocks. This was according to the South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA).

Initiatives to develop and grow South Africa’s black tobacco farmers may come to naught, due to government’s ongoing ban on the manufacture and retail of tobacco products.

After experiencing some significant financial knocks during its first half-year ended 31 March 2020 (H1 2020), Tiger Brands is reportedly undergoing major strategic changes to keep the company viable in a very difficult future trading environment.

Ongoing drought conditions in the main production regions resulted in a more than 20% decline in South Africa’s 2019/2020 mango harvest.

The low supply of maize currently being experienced in South Africa, has resulted in a short-term squeeze and volatility in the market.

Pineapple farmers were happy to benefit from the surprise spike in demand for this tropical fruit as South Africans, left high and dry by the ban on alcoholic drink sales imposed during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown, started experimenting with different home-brewed fermented drinks, such as pineapple and ginger beer.

Severe drought conditions still dominated large parts of the Northern Cape, and was prevalent in “smaller patches” of the Eastern Cape, according to agricultural meteorologist, Johan van Den Berg.

Global cotton consumption is expected to decline 11,8% this year compared with the previous season, which will reduce global trade to 8,26 million tons in 2019/2020, according to the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC).

Although prospects for South Africa’s 2020 guava crop have been, for the most part, favourable so far this season, there is concern that there will not be enough workers available for harvesting due to the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Despite generous donations of animal feed to the drought-stricken farmers in the Northern Cape, sheep numbers in the province continue to decline dramatically.

Due to disruptions across the entire wool supply chain, as a result of the restrictions to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, there was not enough wool available to hold a scheduled auction on 13 May this week.

In this episode of the Weekly Wrap podcast, Farmer’s Weekly editor, Denene Erasmus, and journalist, Sabrina Dean, discuss the top stories featured in the 22 & 29 May issue of the magazine. They discuss how the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) will affect South Africa’s imports of wheat, a commodity for which the country is a net importer, for the rest of the year.

Early estimates for the 2020 malting barley season suggest that the hectares planted to this crop will continue to increase as it has since 2016.

Despite having taken an initial knock in demand on international and local markets as a result of global trade and movement restriction to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, South Africa’s avocado growers are now seeing a steady, positive turnaround.

South Africa’s private wildlife ranching value chain, worth well over R15 billion annually before the national lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic brought it almost to a standstill, is now on the brink of collapse.

The livestock auction industry in South Africa has suffered major setbacks during the past six months.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a severe impact on the South African horticulture sector, due to confusion about which industries were allowed to resume normal trade. 

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in yet another upheaval in South Africa’s agricultural value chain.