by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 1, 2020 | Agricultural Production
It has become increasingly challenging to forecast agricultural production seasons with any level of confidence. One of the factors that have contributed to this challenge is more unpredictable weather conditions, especially over the last decade. SA has not only...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 30, 2020 | General Comments
One of the big questions that have occupied South African agricultural economists over the past decade has been: how to foster inclusive growth in the sector. This is, of course, a broad question with several dimensions. One of the more technical aspects related to...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 25, 2020 | General Comments
The global grains environment has changed somewhat from the optimistic picture of a few weeks ago. The increased dryness in parts of Europe and the US is weighing on global crop production, specifically maize and wheat, and this has raised the prospects for downward...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 23, 2020 | Agricultural Production
This essay first appeared on Business Day, July 21, 2020 As SA’s summer crop — which includes maize — is set to be one of the best on record, focus now shifts to the outlook for winter crops, specifically wheat. Alas, for wheat farmers the 2020/2021 season had a bad...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 16, 2020 | Agricultural Production
In the second week of July 2020, the Economic Transformation Committee of the African National Congress (ANC)[1] and Business for South Africa (B4SA)[2], released their respective strategy documents for the post-COVID-19 inclusive economy recovery for South Africa....
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 9, 2020 | Agricultural Production
The locusts which emerged in East Africa towards the end of last year remain a serious challenge for the agricultural sector. This is specifically the case in Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia, according to reports from the Food and...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 4, 2020 | Agricultural Production
The high-frequency data on both domestic and global markets reinforced our view that grain prices could be under pressure this year and that, in turn, could lead to subdued food price inflation. In June 2020, the International Grains Council (IGC) lifted its estimate...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jun 30, 2020 | Agricultural Production
I usually blog on Thursday evenings but we had important data today, June 30. So, I figured it would be good to tap in and provide a synopsis of it. After experiencing four consecutive quarters of contraction because of droughts and foot-and-mouth disease amongst...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jun 26, 2020 | Agricultural Production
There is consensus amongst South Africa’s agricultural economists that the next frontiers for growth in the sector will be through the expansion of production mainly in the former homelands provinces (KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape and Limpopo).[1] The government land...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jun 18, 2020 | Agricultural Production
This essay first appeared on Fin24, June 15, 2020 The South African agriculture sector has the potential to be amongst the sectors that will drive economic growth and job creation during the post-COVID-19 recovery phrase. The path to realise this growth does not need...
