Daily Maverick Interview
I was recently interviewed by Karin Schimke of the Daily Maverick. We discussed South Africa’s agriculture policy and land reform issues, which are central themes of my book “Finding Common Ground: Land, Equity and Agriculture”. You can read or listen to the interview...
The October uptick in South Africa’s food price inflation may be a temporary blip
South Africa’s food price inflation accelerated to 5.6% y/y in October 2020 from 4.2% in the previous month, and well above the average of 4.4% for the first nine months of the year.
Rainfall could cause slight delays in SA summer crop plantings, but that shouldn’t be a concern
The one dominant event in South Africa’s agriculture this past week was increased rainfall in several summer crop-growing regions. This was primarily in the eastern regions of the country, and there were also destructive winds in the former Transkei in the Eastern...
East Africa and South America 2020/21 maize and soybeans crops at risk in a La Niña year
On 10 November 2020, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology reaffirmed its forecast of a La Niña occurrence from this year until at least February 2021. While this weather phenomenon presents prospects of higher rainfall and a potentially good agricultural season in...
La Niña rains kick off South Africa’s 2020/21 summer crop season
This essay first appeared on Business Day, November 10, 2020 The most crucial time for SA’s summer crop and some horticulture products, and by extension the livestock sector, is between October and February each year. This is the summer rainfall period and therefore a...
SA agricultural employment held up in Q3, 2020, but there are disparities across provinces
South Africa’s agriculture economic data has been encouraging this year. Either one looks at output volumes, export performance or tractor & combine harvester sales, the picture has been positive. But the jobs data for the third quarter does not paint such a...
South Africa could have the largest wheat harvest in 19-years
The rainfall of the past couple of months in the Western Cape and generally improved moisture levels in other winter crop growing areas of South Africa has led to the further upward revision of the harvest estimate. South Africa’s Crop Estimates Committee lifted...
Grain and oilseed forecasts take a dive as dryness threatens global outputs
Written for and first appeared on Business Day, October 27, 2020 It is not my usual practice to revisit the subject of a previous column. But in this instance, I am compelled to do so because of the fast-changing global agricultural outlook and its implications for...
Bigger 2020/21 summer crop planting area is ultimately good news for South Africans
This essay first appeared on Business Day, October 29, 2020 The good news keeps pouring in for SA’s agricultural sector, at least from a production perspective. Figures released on October 28 by the Crop Estimates Committee (CEC), a government crop forecasting body,...