Farmers are frequently blamed for high food prices, and this is just one of several misconceptions that have to be urgently addressed.
The ratio between input prices and the price farmers receive for their products is steadily narrowing. Farmers must take this into account in future plans.
The probability of producer prices remaining at current levels, or even increasing somewhat in the next year, remains strong.
If the euro weakens, South African farmers may see lower prices, but they mustn’t forget the vast potential of other developing countries in Africa.
All indicators point to a long-term agricultural boom. There are ways farmers can benefit from this.
It’s high time the department of agriculture drops the rhetoric and gives us a few straight answers to questions about our animal bio-security.
Some 27 countries in Africa will need help with food security in 2012. To meet this demand we need more government-funded research in SA.
What goes up, must come down, but farmers must be careful not to make long-term decisions based on the current short-term drop in world food prices.
Dairy farmers, hard-hit by high input prices can expect better conditions in 2012 and beyond. Koos Coetzee explains.
Input prices increase faster than product prices, but farmers can do much to limit the effect of the cost-price squeeze on their businesses.
Small farmers facing the price-cost squeeze need to join forces to survive.
Real or perceived fears about competition legislation in South Africa inhibit the free flow of information and limit interaction within industries. This affects competition in the marketplace.
