by Wandile Sihlobo | May 28, 2020 | Agricultural Production
This essay first appeared on Business Day, May 26, 2020 As we continue to learn to live in the Covid-19 era, the business of agriculture has to go on and provide much-needed food to the world. The focus for many countries is now on the wheat production prospects for...
by Wandile Sihlobo | May 26, 2020 | Africa Focus
Since the pandemic started several countries have adopted restrictive trade policy approaches such as export bans and export quotas. The justification for such policies was consumer-focused, as the countries needed to ensure domestic food security during this...
by Wandile Sihlobo | May 21, 2020 | Agricultural Trade
Essay by Wandile Sihlobo and Tinashe Kapuya[i] As countries continue to implement “risk-adjusted” responses to COVID-19 and global leaders and analysts alike continue to assess the evolving implications of the pandemic on global markets. What makes COVID-19 unique is...
by Wandile Sihlobo | May 20, 2020 | Agricultural Production
The global wheat market is not out of the woods. While the recent data from United States Department of Agriculture and the International Grains Council brought some comfort indicating prospects of a record wheat harvest in 2020/21, estimated at 768 million tonnes, a...
by Wandile Sihlobo | May 17, 2020 | Agricultural Production
This essay first appeared on Business Day, May 12, 2020 No industry will escape the economic pain of the Covid-19 pandemic. The high-frequency economic data for industries that are classified as non-essential during the lockdown period already shows the negative...
by Wandile Sihlobo | May 14, 2020 | Agricultural Production
This week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates data – arguably among the most anticipated data releases in global agricultural markets. The agency reinforced the message painted by the...
by Wandile Sihlobo | May 12, 2020 | Agricultural Production
This essay first appeared on the Financial Mail, May 7, 2020 As the coronavirus continues to spread around the world, governments have intensified efforts to contain the pandemic by limiting the movement of people and temporarily shutting down parts of the economy....
by Wandile Sihlobo | May 7, 2020 | Agricultural Production
This essay first appeared on the Daily Maverick on May 4, 2020 Last week brought further evidence that there is no need for protectionist policies in the global grains market as there are abundant supplies. Russia, Vietnam and Cambodia are amongst countries that...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Apr 30, 2020 | Africa Focus
This essay first appeared on Business Day, April 28, 2020 Global food and agricultural supply chains are taking strain from disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the case whether one looks at meat or grain supply chains. First, the US, Brazil and...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Apr 24, 2020 | Africa Focus
The COVID-19 pandemic will exacerbate an already dire situation of food shortage in some African countries. Professor Mzukisi Qobo (Head of Wits School of Governance, University of Witwatersrand), Isaah Mhlanga (Chief Economist at Alexander Forbes) and I have an essay...
