by Wandile Sihlobo | Dec 9, 2019 | Agricultural Trade
The week got off to a fairly slow start with no key data releases in the domestic agricultural calendar. This offered us an opportunity to briefly look back at key developments this year. If there is anything that has shaped agricultural permeance it is the drought in...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Dec 8, 2019 | Agricultural Trade
The first Russia-Africa summit that was held in October 2019 concluded with an announcement that urged all participants to increase cooperation in security, science, environmental protection, trade and economic matters. On this last point — trade and economic...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Dec 5, 2019 | Agricultural Production
The third quarter 2019 GDP data released by Statistics South Africa this week illuminated what many in SA’s farming towns and villages have been experiencing throughout the year, which is that the farming economy is in recession. Indeed, production in SA’s...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Dec 1, 2019 | Agricultural Production
It is well understood within South African agricultural circles that inclusive expansion in production in the coming years needs to prioritize labour-intensive and globally sought-after products. Pursuing this goal requires effort, but not much in the way of new...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Nov 26, 2019 | Agricultural Production
South Africa’s Crop Estimates Committee has lowered its estimates for the country’s 2019/20 wheat production by 5% from October 2019 to 1.6 million tonnes. This equates to a 16% decline from the 2018/19 season. We are not surprised at all by this development as we...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Nov 25, 2019 | Agricultural Production
Over the past few months, South Africa’s Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) has consistently slashed down its estimate of 2019/20 winter wheat harvest from the view painted at the start of the season. The current estimate is now at 1.7 million tonnes (from 1.9 million...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Nov 21, 2019 | Agricultural Production
After weeks of dryness which caused delays in crop planting, most regions of South Africa have finally received a reprieve as rains continue over summer rainfall areas of the country. The rains have enabled farmers to get on with planting activities. As of November...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Nov 21, 2019 | Food Security
Since the news that South Africa could be hit by yet another drought, a frequent topic of discussion has been its possible implications on South Africa’s food price inflation. This comes at a time when South Africa’s food price inflation has generally been subdued,...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Nov 18, 2019 | Agricultural Production
Essay by Wandile Sihlobo and Gracelin Baskaran[1] The South African agricultural sector is experiencing a déjà vu moment. The 2018/19 production season was grim, marred by drought for summer crops and foot-and-mouth disease. This time, it’s again the livestock’s turn...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Nov 15, 2019 | Agricultural Production
SA’s political leaders often mention agriculture as one of the sectors that will boost our economic fortunes and create jobs in rural areas. For a long time, this has been stated without a clear practical execution plan. The National Development Plan (NDP) is one of...
