by Wandile Sihlobo | Sep 27, 2020 | Daily Notes
My aim in this morning’s blog post is to provide an update of South Africa’s grain trade data for the week of 18 September 2020. I will also share highlights from the International Grain Council monthly global grains update report. SA grain trade data South Africa...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Sep 16, 2020 | Daily Notes
This morning’s blog post is co-authored with fellow agricultural economist, Tinashe Kapuya. Our aim is to briefly reflect on the recent 2020/21 global grain and oilseed production forecasts from the United States Department of Agriculture and further draw implication...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 13, 2020 | Agricultural Production
This essay first appeared on Business Day, August 13, 2020 Tempus fugit (time flies) is an apt phrase to describe developments in the global agricultural market. It feels like just the other day when I wrote an update note on global grain conditions following the...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 25, 2020 | General Comments
The global grains environment has changed somewhat from the optimistic picture of a few weeks ago. The increased dryness in parts of Europe and the US is weighing on global crop production, specifically maize and wheat, and this has raised the prospects for downward...
by Wandile Sihlobo | May 14, 2020 | Agricultural Production
This week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates data – arguably among the most anticipated data releases in global agricultural markets. The agency reinforced the message painted by the...
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 | Feb 5, 2020 | Agricultural Trade
Consumption of rice in South Africa is increasing, however, climate conditions in the country are not conducive to growing these grains. We fully depend on imports for all our annual requirements. In 2020, South Africa’s rice imports are set to increase by 10% y/y to...