What do global wheat production dynamics mean for South Africa?
South Africa is expected to remain comfortable regarding wheat supplies and import activity during the 2022/23 marketing year.
Is organized agriculture at fault for low transformation levels in SA agriculture?
The current dualism in South Africa’s agriculture is not desirable. Still, the agricultural development and progress of black farmers will likely be achieved through a social compact approach.
Jannie de Villiers’ retirement from Grain South Africa: End of an illustrious era
De Villiers retires as CEO of Grain SA at the end of August after a sterling decade-long career at the organisation’s helm.
Brief reflections on South Africa’s agriculture employment data for Q2, 2021
After falling to the lowest levels since 2014 in the first quarter of this year, South Africa’s agricultural employment rebounded in the second quarter to 862 000 (up 8% year on year)
South Africa’s agricultural exports on track to beat 2020
Robust production means South Africa’s 2021 agricultural exports are on track to exceed the 2020 level of US$10.2 billion.
Rising costs to keep South African farmers on their toes
Amid an abundant harvest, high agricultural commodity prices have been an ironic windfall for South African farmers, particularly the grain and oilseed growers. However, farmers should manage their portfolios well, as input costs have also been rising, namely: oil, herbicides, and fertilizer. Such higher costs have the potential to erode these price gains when farmers embark on the 2021/22 production campaign, commencing in October this year.
South African riots and food security: why there’s an urgent need to restore stability
I share some reflections on South Africa’s food supply chains amid the rioting and looting in KwaZulu-Natal province.
JP Landman on South Africa’s failing Municipalities and Local Government
163 of the 278 local authorities in South Africa are in financial distress, and 40 are in serious financial and service delivery crisis.
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“.
He is a Senior Lecturer Extraordinary at the Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand.
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.