Wandile Sihlobo is the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and the author of two books, “A Country of Two Agricultures: The Disparities, The Challenges, The Solutions” and “Finding Common Ground: Land, Equity and Agriculture“.
He is a Senior Lecturer Extraordinary at the Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University.
Sihlobo is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand, and a Research Associate at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Rhodes University.
Sihlobo was appointed as a member of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council in 2019 (and re-appointed in 2022), having served on the Presidential Expert Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture from 2018.
He is also a member of the Council of Statistics of South Africa (Stats SA) and a Commissioner at the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC).
Sihlobo is a columnist for Business Day, The Herald and Farmers Weekly magazine.
His weekly podcast, “Agricultural Market Viewpoint with Wandile Sihlobo“, is available on all podcast platforms.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Fort Hare and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from Stellenbosch University.
Complex reasons for high food prices in South Africa
South African households are generally under pressure, and the relatively higher food prices add to the difficulty. Still, it is wrong to accuse anyone of being responsible for higher food prices.
Thinking about the Eastern Cape’s agricultural possibilities
Some often view the Eastern Cape’s economy through the lens of its auto industry, amongst other sectors. However, the province does well in agriculture — in various commodities, including dairy, wool, sheep farming, and citrus.
Farming is fashion
In the cities, people are often divorced from the value chain of various products we use. Some usually think their exquisite leather handbag, shoes, jackets, or jerseys comes from their favourite clothing shops. They rarely picture sheep, goats, cattle, or ostrich being slaughtered for the leather to use in their bags.
South Africa must develop a bold, export-driven strategy for agriculture
Does South Africa’s agriculture have any future in global markets in the face of deepening geopolitical frictions among major economies? It all depends on what the country’s leaders do to prepare for an uncertain future.
South Africa’s maize export activity remains encouraging
While South Africa’s maize production is down 22% from the last season because of the tough mid-summer drought to an expected harvest of 12,8 million tonnes, we continue to export maize to the Southern African region. The expected harvest, combined with large carryover stock from the last season, has made South Africa comfortable about maize supplies.
Quick notes on global food prices
Global food prices have risen slightly. This morning, the FAO released its Global Food Price Index results for September 2024, a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities.
Wandile Sihlobo is the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and the author of two books, “A Country of Two Agricultures: The Disparities, The Challenges, The Solutions” and “Finding Common Ground: Land, Equity and Agriculture“.
He is a Senior Lecturer Extraordinary at the Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University.
Sihlobo is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand, and a Research Associate at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Rhodes University.
Sihlobo was appointed as a member of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council in 2019 (and re-appointed in 2022), having served on the Presidential Expert Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture from 2018.
He is also a member of the Council of Statistics of South Africa (Stats SA) and a Commissioner at the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC).
Sihlobo is a columnist for Business Day, The Herald and Farmers Weekly magazine.
His weekly podcast, “Agricultural Market Viewpoint with Wandile Sihlobo“, is available on all podcast platforms.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Fort Hare and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from Stellenbosch University.