Wandile Sihlobo is the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and the author of three books, “The Uncomfortable Truth About South Africa’s Agriculture (2025)”, “A Country of Two Agricultures: The Disparities, The Challenges, The Solutions (2023)” and “Finding Common Ground: Land, Equity and Agriculture (2020)“.
He is a Senior Lecturer Extraordinary at the Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University.
Sihlobo is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand, and a Research Associate at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Rhodes University.
Sihlobo was appointed as a member of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council in 2019 (and re-appointed in 2022), having served on the Presidential Expert Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture from 2018.
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, The Herald and Farmers Weekly magazine.
His weekly podcast, “Agricultural Market Viewpoint with Wandile Sihlobo“, is available on all podcast platforms.
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.
The rise of canola production in South Africa serves as an inspiration for other value chains
I often write about South Africa’s soybean success story, whose production increased from 67,700 tonnes in the 1993-94 production season to an expected 2,3 million tonnes in 2024-25. But soybeans aren’t the only success story in South Africa’s vegetable oils cluster. Canola is also an agricultural success story.
Additional notes about South Africa’s winter crop season
A few days ago, I signaled the need for us to continuously watch the weather prospects as South Africa’s winter crop season starts. I was relieved that the latest weather prospects have improved somewhat. There is now a chance of rain in the Western Cape this coming week, and a possibility of mild showers going into next week.
South Africa must temporarily suspend imports of poultry products from Brazil
We will not be alone in this step; China and the EU have just suspended Brazil’s poultry product imports. Indeed, South Africa is not self-sufficient in poultry; we import roughly 20% of our annual consumption. The suppliers for various cuts include Brazil, the US, Argentina, and the EU.
Thinking about what South Africa’s agricultural trade approach should be
Amid escalating trade tensions worldwide, the appropriate posture for SA agriculture on trade is not to prefer one country over another, but to seek ways to multiply friendships and trade relations.
Keep an eye on the weather prospects as the winter crop season starts in South Africa
We haven’t received the early winter rains in the Western Cape. The weather forecasts through the end of May are concerning. They show clear skies across the province, which means there is minimal chance for notable rain.
An uneven recovery
While I remain optimistic about South Africa’s agricultural prospects for 2025, I must acknowledge that the recovery will likely be uneven across value chains and regions.
Wandile Sihlobo is the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and the author of three books, “The Uncomfortable Truth About South Africa’s Agriculture (2025)”, “A Country of Two Agricultures: The Disparities, The Challenges, The Solutions (2023)” and “Finding Common Ground: Land, Equity and Agriculture (2020)“.
He is a Senior Lecturer Extraordinary at the Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University.
Sihlobo is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand, and a Research Associate at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Rhodes University.
Sihlobo was appointed as a member of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council in 2019 (and re-appointed in 2022), having served on the Presidential Expert Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture from 2018.
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, The Herald and Farmers Weekly magazine.
His weekly podcast, “Agricultural Market Viewpoint with Wandile Sihlobo“, is available on all podcast platforms.
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.