South African maize-belt not in good shape
I received communication from a couple of farmers this morning, informing me that it is less than 20 percent of intended maize hectares planted thus far in the Free State and North West, respectively, due to persistent dryness. This is a concern as these particular provinces are the main white maize producers, typically accounting for more than half of white maize output in any season.
Transkei should be key in agricultural development
Another reason to prioritise the Eastern Cape for agricultural development is its good weather, specifically the Transkei region. Today I drove across the region and it was green and lush. Here is a photo I took it the rural areas of Port St. Johns (see below or...
An unpleasant drive through the South African summer crop regions
Yesterday’s drive from Gauteng to Eastern Cape gave me a sense of how drier weather conditions have affected South Africa’s summer crop production in regions of the country.
High time cannabis sector got legislation framework in South Africa
I did an unusual thing while preparing to write this column. I invited regular readers on Twitter to offer their opinion about key aspects they feel my last column for the year should address. Their responses showed, first of all, that many South Africans are already...
Large cattle herd doesn’t translate to more milk or beef
Having a largest cattle herd does not always translate to being a biggest beef or milk producer. South Africa is ranked sixth in the continent by cattle herd count, but it is the largest beef producer, and third largest milk producer in Africa.
South African meat eaters are in for a feast this festive season
South Africans are generally eating more meat these days. In 2000 beef, poultry and pork per capita consumption were at 15,6kg, 21,5kg and 3,0kg respectively. In 2017 this increased to 17,2kg for beef, 41,0kg for chicken and 5,0kg for pork. While consumption of all meats has risen, chicken has taken the lead due to price competitiveness.
Wandile Sihlobo is the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and the author of “Finding Common Ground: Land, Equity, and Agriculture.”
Sihlobo is Senior Lecturer Extraordinary at the Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University.
He is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand.
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.
Sihlobo was appointed as a member of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council in 2019 after serving on the Presidential Expert Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture between 2018 and 2019.
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 and Farmers Weekly magazine.