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.
Friendships in times of trade friction
It is increasingly clear that South Africa will need to strengthen its trade relations with the U.S. in light of the current tariff difficulties, while also attempting to deepen trade with China. After all, these are both South Africa’s leading trade partners.
What is the matter with South Africa’s maize prices?
Those closely following the South African maize market may have noticed today’s significant price increase. The yellow maize spot price closed at R6,000 per tonne, up R800 from the previous Thursday. The white maize spot price closed at R6,050 per tonne, up by R771 from Thursday last week.
Africa must reduce its dependence on food aid
Our poverty problem in Africa is more a political issue than a scientific one. Politicians must lead with action and policy change, focusing less on grand speeches and gatherings that have yielded little in the recent past.
Reflecting on Ukraine’s visit to South Africa from an agricultural perspective
We will have our Ukrainian friends in Pretoria this week. A range of geopolitical matters will undoubtedly be the primary focus of the leadership of both countries during this working visit by the President of Ukraine. However, there will be business engagements on the sidelines or days leading up to the visit.
Banana wars in Southern Africa may be a fruitless endeavour
South Africa has not imported a notable volume of bananas from Tanzania in over two decades. To supplement domestic production, Mozambique is the major supplier of bananas to South Africa, accounting for 74% of the US$48 million in annual banana imports into the country.
Remain focused on domestic matters that are key to South Africa’s agricultural growth
In South Africa’s agriculture, we are fortunately not under such an attack through the flood of information. Still, we must continuously be vigilant and reflect thoughtfully on risks affecting the sector.
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.