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 23, 2020 | General Comments
Since the beginning of the lockdown, the good folks at Statistics South Africa have been measuring price changes for essential goods that appear in the Consumer Price Index and temporarily publishing inflation data weekly for a smaller range of goods. Taking a closer...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Apr 21, 2020 | General Comments
The actual impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on South African businesses remains unknown until critical variables to measure it can be identified, including the duration of the pandemic and its intensity in terms of infection rates. So far, the pandemic has highlighted...
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 14, 2020 | Agricultural Labour Market
I’ve published an essay — Agriculture After the Pandemic — on Project Syndicate, the World’s Opinion Page. You can access it here. Follow me on Twitter (@WandileSihlobo). E-mail:...
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...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Apr 1, 2020 | General Comments
If you are interested in what my book – Finding Common Ground — is about, the Daily Maverick has a review of it here. With the bookstores on lockdown amid COVID-19, you can access an eBook here. Follow me on Twitter (@WandileSihlobo). E-mail:...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Mar 30, 2020 | Agricultural Production
Food products and nonalcoholic beverages have been classified as essential goods, and their production, distribution and retailing will continue during the 21-day coronavirus lockdown period. As such, one could expect the impact on the agricultural sector to be...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Mar 27, 2020 | General Comments
On 26 March 2020, I sat down with good folks at SABC to discuss my new book – FINDING COMMON GROUND. The interview aired earlier today. To view the 10 minutes long discussion about the book on YouTube, click here. South Africa is on 21-days lockdown, but you can...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Mar 25, 2020 | Agricultural Trade
In times of uncertainty, as we are in during COVID-19 and a 21-days lockdown in South Africa, any unusual rise in prices of goods which society relies on the most can be discomforting. This is particularly the case with South Africa’s staple white maize prices, which...
