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...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Nov 11, 2019 | Agricultural Trade
Essay by Wandile Sihlobo and Tinashe Kapuya[1] South Africa’s trade policy is underpinned by an export-led growth strategy. This means that the country essentially looks to grow its economy by deepening and expanding its export markets. Such efforts can be seen...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Nov 6, 2019 | Agricultural Production
I am in the Eastern Cape today, attending The Co-Op/Landbou Weekblad conference. The main theme of the conference is Opportunities for Farming. The inputs or presentations from various farmers showcase the good work that’s currently being done across the province. The...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Nov 4, 2019 | Agricultural Production
Over the past few months, I have written a few essays arguing that we shouldn’t worry much about the current heatwave in South Africa and that rainfall could soon provide some relief. I made this argument, leaning on the South African Weather Services (SAWS) views...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Nov 1, 2019 | Agricultural Production
It is quite amazing how productive South Africa’s maize industry has been over the past five decades. If one looks back to the period between 1970 and 1990, South Africa’s maize area planting averaged 4.2 million hectares. This is 8% higher than the overall area...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Oct 31, 2019 | Agricultural Environment and Natural Resource
I spent my day in Free State where I participated in the South African Stud Book and Animal Improvement Association AGM. My presentation reflected broader themes of South Africa’s agricultural economy – production trends, trade, and policy. But the discussion that...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Oct 29, 2019 | Agricultural Labour Market
I just went through Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey data for the third quarter of 2019. The primary agricultural numbers were a pleasant surprise, showing a 4.5% y/y uptick to 880 000. I say “surprise” because the third quarter of each year is...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Oct 28, 2019 | Agricultural Production
In a normal season, by this period, farmers would be hard at work planting, especially in the central and eastern regions of South Africa. But this has not been the case because of dryness that has prevented farmers from planting. Soil moisture in South Africa’s...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Oct 23, 2019 | Agricultural Production
South Africa’s food price inflation is relatively contained and I am beginning to think that the 3.6% y/y average we expected for 2019 might be an overestimate. The average for the nine months data we have thus far is about 2.9% y/y, which means to average at 3.6% y/y...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Oct 22, 2019 | Agricultural Trade
Essay by Wandile Sihlobo and Tinashe Kapuya The news cycle has been mainly centred around Brexit this past week as talks between the United Kingdom and European Union culminated into a Brexit-deal. Heading into the weekend, the House of Commons was expected to vote on...
