drought - search results

South Africa's Disaster Management Act of 2002 and the National Disaster Management framework is world-leading legislation, but incompetent application renders it almost worthless to the agricultural sector, which should be its primary beneficiary, says an advisor to Agri SA and author of the legislation Koos van Zyl.
Issue date : 20 February 2009

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The economic slowdown gives finance minister Trevor Manuel less opportunity to cut individual tax, as there's less room to manoeuvre in the budget.

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With frustration increasing over the slow pace of land reform and emerging farmer projects failing everywhere, Fanyana Jacob Sibeko established a successful Santa Gertrudis stud without handouts. His only encounter with government loan structures puzzled him because of their lack of support
Issue date 16 January

While humates are promoted as an almost magic potion by some, sub-standard products have battered their reputation. Glenneis Erasmus talked to several agriculturists to find out what they are, how to use them and how to ensure product quality.

The establishment in 2011 of a canola-based biodiesel refinery in East London, promises huge spin-offs for farmers in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State. It will allow farmers additional crop rotation options while increasing the animal factor on underutilised land. PhytoPharming, a company which offers technical support on canola production, claims that canola can increase follow-up crop yield by 25%. Glenneis Erasmus reports.
Issue date: 16 January 2008

Gloom and doom pervades the start of 2009. It's hard to be an optimist in the face of worldwide economic recession, wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan, the Iraqi situation still unresolved and Pakistan and India sizing each other up after the Mumbai debacle.
Issue date : 23 Janaury 2009

Agribusiness Suidwes achieved excellent financial results three years in a row with a nett profit increase of 68% for the 2007/08 financial year. Fanie van Zyl, Suidwes board chairperson, ascribes this to ruthlessly pursuing a return on shareholders' funds and using as much of their own capital reserves as possible. Annelie Coleman spoke to him at the Suidwes headquarters in Leeudoringstad, North West, on the eve of the company's 100 birthday.
Issue date : 23 Janaury 2009

Ntingwe Tea Estate in KwaZulu-Natal's rural Nkandla district has survived tough economic conditions and continues to produce a premium export product. Ntingwe is also the single biggest employer in that remote region, and like so many other tea estates largely remains supported by government to prevent large-scale unemployment, writes Robyn Joubert.
Issue date : 23 Janaury 2009

With frustration increasing over the slow pace of land reform and emerging farmer projects failing everywhere, Fanyana Jacob Sibeko established a successful Santa Gertrudis stud without handouts. His only encounter with government loan structures puzzled him because of their lack of support, writes Lloyd Phillips.
Issue date : 16 January 2009

Last year's Monsanto/BASF agreement, and the accompanying massive investment in producing drought-tolerant maize, wheat, sorghum, cotton and soya beans, show the big companies have identified drought as both the next big global crop risk, and a lucrative opportunity.
Issue date : 16 January 2009

Njabulo Nduli, the director-general for agriculture, outlines the issues high on the department's list of priorities and explains some of the difficulties faced by the sector, and the state's solutions. Peter Mashala reports.
Issue date: 2-9 January 2009

In the extreme climatic conditions of the Karoo, the choice between three- and six-month breaks between grazing periods can make the difference between healthy veld and a man-made desert. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Issue date : 2-9 January 2009