Wandile Sihlobo is the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and the author of two books, “A Country of Two Agricultures: The Disparities, The Challenges, The Solutions” and “Finding Common Ground: Land, Equity and Agriculture“.
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.
Reflections on women’s participation in South Africa’s agriculture
I must stress that agricultural matters are not only about farmers; the jobs in various organizations, agribusinesses, commodity organizations, universities, firms and laboratories all form a significant share of women’s continuation to South Africa’s agriculture, food, fibre, and beverages industry.
The changing weather patterns ahead of the start of summer crop season in South Africa
From October 2024, farmers and farm workers across South Africa will be hard at work, tilling the land. We will start the 2024-25 production season for maize, soybeans, sunflower seeds, sorghum, groundnuts, and dry beans.
Why land use discussion is pertinent?
The point of my previous Business Day letter concerned the need to be watchful of land use needs in specific agricultural-rich areas of South Africa. A watchful eye on these issues is vital for our long-term food security needs.
South Africa remains with sufficient maize supplies for our annual needs
South Africa’s Crop Estimates Committee lowered its estimate for the country’s 2023-24 maize harvest by 2% from last month to an estimated 13,06 million tonnes. This is 21% down from last season. This sharp decline in harvest prospects signifies the harsh impact of the mid-summer drought.
South Africa’s consumer food price inflation at lowest level since January 2020
After a prolonged period of much higher food price inflation, the recent data paint a welcome picture of notable easing. South Africa’s consumer food price inflation slowed to 3.9% in July 2024, from 4.1% in the previous month. This is the lowest level since January 2020 and was underpinned by the continued moderation in price inflation across most products in the food baskets, except for bread and cereals and meat.
The effects of the recent drought are starting to bite consumers in Southern Africa
We had a tough summer season in Southern Africa, with El Nino induced drought that led to significant crop failures in the region. Zambia and Zimbabwe, among others, lost roughly half of the staple maize harvest. These countries must now rely on imports of maize to stabilize the domestic supplies for the year.
Wandile Sihlobo is the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and the author of two books, “A Country of Two Agricultures: The Disparities, The Challenges, The Solutions” and “Finding Common Ground: Land, Equity and Agriculture“.
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.