by Wandile Sihlobo | Nov 29, 2020 | Agricultural Trade
The combination of a large harvest, joint efforts between the government and the private sector to keep agriculture operational since the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown, and long-term export market development efforts continue to pay off for SA’s agricultural sector. In the third quarter, the country recorded record exports of $3.2bn, a 5% increase year on year. The growth was primarily underpinned by citrus, wine, maize, nuts, deciduous fruit and sugar cane.
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jun 6, 2020 | Agricultural Trade
The ongoing Covid-19 crisis has brought uncertainty to global trade because of disruptions in supply chains and weakening demand. South Africa’s agricultural sector, which is export-oriented, is one of the sectors I feared would be disrupted by the pandemic. So...
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 | Apr 23, 2020 | Agricultural Trade
We have previously warned of the restrictions placed by countries on agricultural commodity exports, specifically rice and wheat. The concern was that restrictions in the world’s larger supplier markets would inevitably result in drastic price increases of the...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Apr 16, 2020 | Agricultural Trade
This essay first appeared on Business Day, April 14, 2020 The potential rise in oil prices and weak demand for SA’s agricultural exports from most regions are two additional challenges for the agricultural sector that are spinning off the COVID-19 pandemic. Global oil...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Apr 9, 2020 | Agricultural Trade
Regular readers of this blog would know that I write often. But the frequency over the past few weeks has reduced somewhat because of the increased demand for time in this unusual time of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the sake of consistency and ensuring that I cover key...
