Innehållsförteckning för 31 January 2025 från Farmer's Weekly

Francois Wilken, president of Free State Agriculture, recently released a statement in which he said that farmers were the cornerstone of the agriculture sector, but that they were being excluded from conversations that relate to the sector (see story on page 24). As I have mentioned many times in my editorial, farmers are often the scapegoats of climate change activism and often considered the ‘ugly stepsister’ of the agriculture sector. Indeed, if you peruse social media platforms, such as X and Facebook, it won't take you too long to find a comment or a post that claims that we get our food from supermarkets and retailers, and that farmers are more of a problem than a solution to food insecurity, due to their so-called ‘destruction’ of the environment through their…

Dear Farmer's Weekly, I grow organic papayas in my garden and would like to share with other readers how I ripen the fruit. As soon as I notice a yellow spot the size of a 50c coin on any of the green fruit, I take a long pole with a hook on one end to pull the fruit off the tree, catching them as they come falling down. Or I get my neighbour to do it for me – he's a brilliant papaya catcher and hasn't drop a single one yet! I've constructed a ripening shelf from PVC pipe and 40% shade net cover (see images above), which I have placed against a wall of my house that receives all-day sun to quickly ripen my fruit. It is protected from…

This article showed that South African researchers were tracking bacteria that could help maize and other non-legumes bind nitrogen from the air. Fertilising crops like maize with costly nitrogen could soon become a thing of the past. South African scientists are working towards full exploitation of nitrogenbinding bacteria such as Rhizobia, which supply soluble nitrogen to most types of legumes. Until recently, Rhizobia have been the only known agent capable of binding nitrogen from the air and feeding it to plants in an acceptable soluble form. A scientist in Brazil, Dr Johanna Döbereiner, found a spiral type of bacteria in grass roots and proved that it was a source of nitrogen needed by the grass to flourish. She turned her attention to maize when another scientist, researching plant genetics, told…

A potential interest rate cut could significantly enhance the competitiveness of South African agricultural exports, particularly in light of uncertainties surrounding global trade policies, including those of the President Donald Trump administration. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Bhekani Zondo, an economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council, said: “[Lowering] interest rates reduces the cost of borrowing for farmers. This enables investments in machinery, production inputs and other infrastructure that enhance productivity. Improved efficiency translates into reduced production costs, allowing South African producers to offer competitive prices both locally and globally.” Zondo also mentioned the importance of market diversification. “With reduced costs, exporters can explore non-traditional markets that have less stringent trade barriers, further strengthening the sector's resilience.” According to Zondo, South Africa's macroeconomic stability plays a pivotal role in agricultural trade.…

Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), in partnership with MyLife and Sagritex, has introduced an innovative online platform to support Grade 12 agricultural sciences educators. This comprehensive resource is designed to refresh teachers’ subject knowledge, simplify lesson planning and enhance classroom experiences with blended learning materials aligned with South Africa's Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement. Developed by experienced educators, the platform places particular emphasis on livestock studies while covering the entire Grade 12 syllabus. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Marina Fourie, RMIS educational consultant and project manager, said the initiative goes beyond providing resources. “This aligns with the Red Meat Industry Strategy for 2030, which emphasises upskilling educators to inspire scholars and improve participation in the red meat value chain,” she explained. She added that continuous feedback would help refine and expand…

The Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) status of export-focused farms in South Africa has again come under the spotlight as new quotas have been released for 2025. Although no changes have been made from the 2024 quotas, Agbiz has cautioned farmers not to misinterpret the legislation. A media frenzy ensued after the 2024 tariff rate quotas were published but mistakenly interpreted as preventing farmers without a preferential BEE status from exporting produce to the EU and UK. The regulations, published in the Government Gazette, outlined a procedure for exports from South Africa to the EU and the UK to take advantage of preferential tariff-rate quotas for certain agricultural and agro-processed products, should they meet BEE thresholds. Since the quotas are published annually, they once again caused an uproar among farmers at…

According to Family Health International (FHI 360), young people make up about one-third of the agricultural workforce in Myanmar, a Southeast Asian country where more than half of the population is under the age of 30. However, many of them face obstacles to full engagement in the sector, such as restricted market access, financial services and technical capabilities. As a result, many of these people are moving to larger cities and even other countries, a trend made worse by political unrest and conflict. The Feed the Future Burma: Agriculture and Food Systems Development Activity (AFDA), funded by the United States Agency for International Development and led by non-profit organisations ACDI/VOCA and FHI 360, has worked to address these challenges by assisting 30 000 young people in finding agricultural jobs. The…

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with the past 10 years all making it to the Top Ten, in an extraordinary streak of record-breaking temperatures. According to a WMO press statement, the global average surface temperature was 1,55°C above the 1850 to 1900 average. “A single year of more than 1,5°C [higher] does not mean we have failed to meet the Paris Agreement's long-term temperature goals, which are measured over decades rather than individual years. “However, every fraction of a degree of warming matters, because of the way it impacts lives, economies and the plants,” Celeste Saulo, secretary-general of the WMO, said in the statement. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Dr Peter Johnston, climate scientist at the University of Cape Town, said…

The 2024/25 summer grain production has so far been characterised by fluctuating weather conditions. Some parts of the Free State still struggled with drought in mid-January 2025 while Mpumalanga grain producers suffered the worst drought in nearly 100 years in 2024. Meanwhile, North West received ample rain and expected an excellent grain harvest. According to Lion du Plessis, president of Agri Mpumalanga, the rain in the province occurred extremely late, which forced producers to plant summer grain outside of the ideal planting period. The optimum planting period for grain in the eastern parts of the summer grain production area range from mid-October to mid-November. “From around the end of December to the beginning of January, following the extreme drought, we started getting excessive rain, which caused serious harm to the…

In a recent statement, Francois Wilken, president of Free State Agriculture (FSA), told South African primary agricultural producers that as the cornerstone of the agriculture sector, they must not lose hope but keep their heads high. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Wilken said primary producers were in survival mode, while members of the value chain outside the farm gate seemingly were under the impression that they played the most important role as far as the success of the sector was concerned. “The time has come for the entire value chain to realise that primary producers are and always will be the foundation of agriculture in South Africa. I felt compelled to issue this notice because of what is, in my opinion, the growing misunderstanding that farmers owe the existence of their…

Summer crop prices remain significantly higher year-on-year (y/y) due to drought-induced production cuts and strong local and regional demand, which have driven SAFEX maize prices to record highs. Despite the severe heat experienced over large parts of South Africa at the end of November, production outlooks remain positive thanks to the rains received over the past few weeks, boosting expectations for a good crop in the current season. MAIZE Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) maize prices followed an increasing trend since the beginning of 2025, increasing by 5,7% month-on-month (see Graph 1), underpinned by hot and dry weather in Argentina, which is one of the world's top three maize exporters. Argentina experienced a prolonged dry spell in December, heightening concerns over this major producer's yields. In its January World Agricultural…

In isiXhosa, the Green Wood-hoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus) is referred to as Intlekibafazi, which means ‘laughing women.’ It is a charmingly accurate description of the cackling calls of these mainly insectivorous birds that move through sub-Saharan African woodlands and forests in flocks of up to 14 in search of sustenance. Green Wood-hoopoes employ a co-operative breeding strategy. Only one monogamous pair within the flock breeds, while the rest of the birds help to feed the alpha female and raise and protect the chicks (later fledglings) over a period of about three months. Fiercely territorial, these birds are famous for their noisy confrontations when flocks meet along welldefined territorial frontiers. Researchers have shown that during these vocal showdowns, complex communication is shared between flocks via short or extended contests that have different…

The DoubleTree by Hilton experience begins with a cookie. And not just any cookie; it's a nut and chocolate DoubleTree cookie. Not only are cookies offered on check-in, but they also come out of a warming drawer, crisp and soft-centred, and with the sugar grains still crunchy. In 2022, Farmer's Weekly wrote about the impressive visit to DoubleTree by Hilton in Woodstock, Cape Town, noting both its excellent value and brilliant customer experience. Revisiting the hotel in December 2024 following its menu and interiors upgrade, these standouts remain, but the experience impressed beyond that following dinner at their Bistro31 (formerly called Liberty but now named after its location at 31 Brickfield Road). THE NEW LOOK In a media handout, creative director Mardré Meyer and project designer Chantelle Eksteen, of Source…

The views expressed in our weekly opinion piece do not necessarily reflect those of Farmer's Weekly. This article was originally published by The Conversation. To read the original, visit bit.ly/40eeGQa. Aluwani Maiwashe-Tagwi is an associate professor of agricultural economics in the Department of Agriculture and Animal Health at the University of South Africa. Email tagwia@unisa.ac.za. Unity Chipfupa is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of South Africa. “Bioenergy – the renewable energy derived from plant and animal waste products – is largely ignored in South Africa. Solar energy, wind power and green hydrogen attract most of the investment in renewable energy. Sugar cane trash – the discarded leaves and tops of the plant – is a good example of plant waste that could be turned into energy. But it is…

Dear Reader, In the 3 & 10 January 2025 issue of Farmer's Weekly, the Ask Our Vet article titled ‘Are KZN cattle safe from FMD?’ incorrectly stated that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines are available at a discount from Onderstepoort Biological Products. This error was brought to our attention by the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO), and we would like to clarify that private individuals cannot purchase the FMD vaccine. As FMD is a state-controlled disease, these vaccines are only distributed to state veterinarians, who are the only professionals authorised to administer them. At Farmer's Weekly, we place great value on accuracy. Errors are made at times and we take steps to correct them as quickly as possible. We thank our colleagues at the RPO for bringing this error to our…

The year 2025 is going to be very different from what we experienced in 2024. In the previous year almost half of the global population was subject to elections and we had several surprising outcomes. There will be fewer elections in 2025, but some of the developments of 2024 will only come to fruition this year, such as the recent inauguration of US President Donald Trump for his second non-consecutive four-year term. In South Africa, we will continue to watch the functioning of the Government of National Unity (GNU), but everything will be dominated by the role that the G20 will play this year, since South Africa holds the chair for 2025 and will facilitate all the meetings from February 2025 until the G20 Summit in November 2025. VUCA ENVIRONMENT…

TLU SA has expressed concern about the political and developmental route South Africa is taking and has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa in an open letter to take a firm stand against the supposed widespread support of so-called Marxism in the country. This was according to Bennie van Zyl, general manager of TLU SA. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Van Zyl said the letter was written in an effort to make Ramaphosa and his team understand the extent of the downward spiral the country was in. “This is evident in the everincreasing unemployment, spiking crime levels and rampant poverty. We need the ruling party to understand the malaise the country and its people find themselves in. “Urgent steps need to be taken to prevent us all from a major downfall, which…

The Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture is maintaining stringent measures in the Kouga Local Municipality to prevent the further spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). While the situation has stabilised, the department remains vigilant, with robust biosecurity protocols and surveillance efforts continuing. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Dr Mpho Maja, director of animal health at the department, said: “The [Kouga] area has remained stable, with no new [FMD] outbreaks reported since September 2024. However, the Disease Management Area [DMA] will remain in place until we can confirm, through surveillance, that no virus is circulating.” The DMA, which was established in July 2024, included movement restrictions for cloven-hoofed animals and their by-products. These measures were strictly enforced to prevent the disease from spreading beyond the borders of the municipality. Surveillance was ongoing, not…

African leaders recently gathered at the Extraordinary Summit on the Post Malabo Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) in Kampala, Uganda, to strengthen agriculture development on the continent. According to a press statement, during the 37th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly in February last year, African heads of state and government expressed concern that the continent was not on track to meet the goals and targets of the programme set for 2025. These included eradicating hunger, reducing malnutrition, growing the agriculture sector by 6% annually, tripling intra-African trade, and building the resilience of livelihoods and production systems. The goal of the event in January was therefore to review progress, gain inputs and endorse the draft Kampala CAADP declaration, which sets a vision for transforming Africa's Agrifood Systems from…

UNITED STATES The US Agriculture Department (USDA) has reported that US maize exports were off to a “strong start”, thanks to abundant stocks, competitive pricing and an unusually weak harvest from Brazil, its main competition. According to Agriculture Dive, the USDA stated that first-quarter maize exports for the 2024/25 marketing year hit 13 million tons – the highest level since 2018/19, when just over 16 million tons were exported. The US is forecast to export 62,2 million tons of the grain this marketing year, a volume the USDA said would be the third-highest on record. JAPAN Japan's ageing population (the oldest in the world, with more than one-third of people over the age of 65) is causing a major labour shortage, particularly in the agriculture sector. To address this issue,…

After using 2024 as a year to refine its strategies and operations, SA Olive is ready to execute its sustainable growth plan and vision for 2024 to 2029. This was according to Wendy Petersen, CEO of SA Olive. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Petersen said there was great potential for the olive oil industry to grow its local and international footprint, given the increased demand for olive oil due to people switching to Mediterranean diets for health reasons, the excellent quality of South African extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), and short supplies from major exporting countries as a result of wildfires and unfavourable climatic conditions. According to the International Olive Council (IOC), member countries’ olive production, which represented 94% of the world's total for the 2023/24 crop, was expected to decline by…

South African coffee prices are expected to spike sharply in the foreseeable future because of failed crops in the country's main importing countries: Brazil and Vietnam. This was according to Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist of Agbiz, who added that South Africa imported 54% of its coffee from both countries. “If one looks at South Africa's coffee imports by volume, we imported, on average, about 23 921t per annum in the past five years. Brazil and Vietnam accounted for 54% of South Africa's coffee imports. Other suppliers of coffee to South Africa include Uganda (8% of SA's imports), Tanzania (7%), Colombia (4%), Guatemala (4%), Ethiopia (3%) and Honduras (3%). Trade Map data shows these countries make up 84% of South Africa's coffee imports,” Sihlobo said in a BusinessTech report. Speaking to…

In January 2022, Milk South Africa (Milk SA), in conjunction with ASSET Research, initiated the development of a web-based tool called Dairy Environment Sustainability, or DESTiny for short, to help dairy producers analyse and calculate their carbon footprints. Riana Reinecke, who developed DESTiny as part of her doctorate in sustainable dairy production at Stellenbosch University, says the tool is much more than a carbon calculator, as it considers a farm's environmental impact holistically. “Instead of merely focusing on net greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions from cattle, DESTiny considers the biological carbon cycle to give a holistic view of the footprint of cattle within a farming system. To this end, it uses system dynamics modelling to evaluate multiple aspects of sustainability, including energy, water, waste management, and biodiversity,” she explains. “The model…

Scientists from the University of Nottingham in the UK and Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China have determined how plants modify their root systems to grow at steeper angles to reach soil water reserves during droughts. Their study demonstrates how root development angles in grain crops like rice and maize are influenced by the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA). The results, which were recently published in the journal Current Biology, show how ABA and auxin, another important hormone, work together to adjust the root growth angle, offering a possible avenue for the development of drought-resistant crops with an improved root system design. Over the past decade, drought has significantly affected countries worldwide, highlighting the urgent need to enhance crops’ resistance to water scarcity. This challenge becomes even more pressing as…

When it comes to bush encroachment, I prefer the term ‘woody plant proliferation’, as this is a process of changing vegetation and changing habitat over which every farmer has very little control. The causes of woody plant proliferation shift constantly, depending on many factors. Zimbabwe offers a unique example of these changing circumstances. In the pie charts accompanying this article, I have taken the unscientific liberty of interpreting what I consider to be the principal driving forces behind woody plant proliferation in Zimbabwe. Of course, as I have only been around since 1956 and only actively observant since 1978, the period from 1900 to 1980 has a few holes in it. THE INFLUENCE OF FIRE/SOIL TEMPERATURES ON GERMINATION OF WOODY PLANT SPECIES The wattle tree (Acacia mearnsii) originated in Australia.…

Dear Prof McCrindle, Is breeding pedigreed puppies and selling them a profitable venture? I'm a retired farmer who once bred registered Dorpers, and I always owned a working Border Collie. However, I sold my farm and had to put my dog down. Boredom has set in, and I'm thinking about breeding and selling a small dog breed from home to supplement my pension. How do going about this? Alan, Gauteng Dear Alan, It's expensive to breed pedigreed dogs, and the membership fees for the Kennel Union of South Africa are relatively high – the information can be found on their website. The market for small-breed dogs is expanding, and more and more people want house dogs that live indoors, are easy to keep, and eat less than a Rottweiler, Doberman…

As the country recovers from last year's drought, beef farmers are expected to start rebuilding their herds, leading to greater demand for breeding stock. Johnny van der Merwe, executive director at AM Trends, said that better grazing conditions this year meant that farmers would be able to expand their livestock herds after having to reduce the number of animals last year as the drought took hold. He expected that prices for breeding animals would therefore increase as demand rose. As the supply of weaners on the market increased, these prices were, however, expected to decrease. Boran stud breeder Simeon Hurwitz of Hurwitz Farming in Mpumalanga, noted that demand for breeding stock across the industry was lower last year than usual, but was optimistic that conditions would improve this year. “Last…

In December 2024, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) announced that agricultural performance dropped 28,8% quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter of 2024. Agri SA, the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) and Agbiz subsequently released a joint statement that said that while a difficult mid-summer drought had been expected to cause a decline in the sector, such a significant drop in performance was not expected. As such, the joint statement said, BFAP had thoroughly analysed the Stats SA report, as well as reports from the Department of Agriculture, on the stated GDP figures for agriculture. The technical report produced by BFAP based on its evaluation of these figures identified a number of issues in the reported figures. BFAP's analysis indicated that the decline in real agricultural GDP for the first…

South Africa is considering expanding its list of VAT-exempt food items to ease the financial burden on lowincome households. The proposal has sparked debate among economists, policymakers and industry representatives about its potential economic impacts and effectiveness in addressing food insecurity. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Ricardo Smith, senior economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council, said the Value-Added Tax Act (No. 89 of 1991) imposed a uniform VAT rate across goods and services, with certain exemptions and zero-rated items. He added that in the 2022/23 fiscal year, VAT accounted for 25% of the government's R1,686 trillion tax revenue, making it the second-largest source of income for government after personal income tax. However, VAT disproportionately impacted low-income households, as much of their income was spent on VAT-inclusive goods. Expanding exemptions on…

Financing for and investment in regenerative agriculture in South Africa are currently lagging behind what is happening in the rest of the world. This was according to Andrew Ardington, founder of the Regenerative Agriculture Association of South Africa, who said that while farmer interest in regenerative agriculture had grown steadily over the past few years, the transition was being held back by a lack of financing solutions. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Ardington pointed out that it took time to realise the advantages of regenerative agriculture, such as a reduced environmental footprint, and increased climate and plant resilience. The switch also coincided with risks. “With regenerative agriculture there is not a recipe for success that can be replicated on all farms. It takes time, hard work, a lot of research, and…

The South African mango industry is making strides in production and exports, despite its short season (November to late March) compared with other subtropical fruit like avocados (February to November) and litchis (November to late April). Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Buhlebemvelo Dube, agricultural economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council, said mangoes were produced in Limpopo (4 280ha), Mpumalanga (1 362ha), the Western Cape (101ha), KwaZulu-Natal (16ha), North West (15ha), and Gauteng (1ha). “These provinces have a total of 5 775ha planted to mangoes, thanks to conducive climatic conditions for production,” he said. Dube explained that Limpopo and Mpumalanga combined were responsible for at least 96% of all mango production in South Africa. The most productive region in Limpopo was Hoedspruit, with a share of 44% of all production in…

SERVES SIX 375ml (1½ cups) very ripe mango, peeled and cubed 500ml (2 cups) cream 5 egg yolks 7,5 ml (½ Tbsp) vanilla essence 80ml (ѿ cup) castor sugar, plus extra • Preheat the oven to 160°C. Blitz the mango in a blender until smooth. Heat the mango purée in a small saucepan over a medium heat, stirring for about eight minutes or until the purée has reduced by half. • Stir the cream into the purée and heat to just before boiling point. • Beat the egg yolks, vanilla essence and sugar together. Slowly pour the hot mango mixture into the egg mixture, while whisking constantly. Strain through a sieve, then divide the mixture evenly between six 125ml (½ cup) flat baking dishes. • Place the dishes in a…

Your Ultimate Personal Finance Guide by Johan Gouws (Penguin, R400) As we face the real world in late January, recommends Gouws, one of the realest things to do is sort out your financial life. An expert in investment and managing retirement funds, he's also great at spotting get-outs we tend to give ourselves to dodge taking responsibility for our finances. So his book's first 100 or so pages sympathetically lead you through recognising your ‘money profile’ – how you use and value money in your life, your life stage, your ‘money personality’ – and how you can turn these into financial intelligence. This could bring some sharp realisations, such as whether it's wise to rely on a side hustle to make ends meet. The practical guidance in the book's remaining…